PLA 


ROYAL 


LIBRARY 


\ 


THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 


'KRICAX    WISTARIA.     Kraunhia  fnif'-*r,-nx. 

A  sturdy  athlete,  one  of  the  most  hardy  and  most  beautiful  o)'  all  climbing 
plai 


THE 

HUMAN   SIDE 
OF  PLANTS 

BY 

ROYAL    DIXON 


WITH  FOUR  ILLUSTRATIONS  IN  COLORS  AND 
THIRTY-TWO  IN  BLACK-AND-WHITE 


NEW  YORK 

FREDERICK  A.  STOKES  COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS 


Copyright,  1914,  by 
FREDERICK  A.  STOKES  COMPANY 

All  rights  reserved,  including  that  of  translation 
into  foreign  languages 


SECOND  PRINTING 


September,  1914 


TO 
AGNES  AND  LOLITA 


NOTE 

The  author  desires  to  acknowledge  his  sincere 
indebtedness  to  Mr.  Raymond  Comstock  for  en- 
couragement in  the  pursuance  of  this  work,  for 
critical  readings,  and  for  suggestions  and  advice, 
which  have  contributed  materially  to  the  produc- 
tion of  this  book. 


FOREWORD 

OF  recent  years  there  has  come  into  man's  life 
a  new  joy.  This  joy  is  the  acquaintance- 
ship with  plants.  I  Nature  has  long  been  ready  to 
reveal  her  secrets,  but  only  to  those  prepared  to 
hear  and  see./  Gradually  a  new  understanding  has 
arisen  between  Nature  and  mankind,  and  as  a  re- 
sult we  obtain  from  such  a  revelation  a  joy  un- 
dreamed of  a  few  years  ago. 

In  no  department  of  the  sciences  has  this  awak- 
ening to  truth  been  more  in  evidence  than  in  bot- 
any. \Plants  no  longer  are  lifeless  things  labelled 
and  grouped  under  ponderous  Latin  titles ;  they  are 
highly  developed  organisms,  which  see,  hear,  taste, 
feel,  walk,  swim,  run,  fly,  jump,  skip,  hop,  roll, 
tumble,  set  traps  and  catch  fish ;  decorate  themselves 
that  they  may  attract  attention ;  powder  their  faces ; 
imitate  birds,  animals,  serpents,  stones;  play  hide 
and  seek;  blossom  underground;  protect  their  chil- 
dren, and  send  them  forth  into  the  world  prepared 
to  care  for  themselves — indeed,  do  all  those  things 
which  we  ourselves  do !  AVe  know  now  that  plants 


x      THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

have  even  minds  and  souls,  with  which  to  think  and 
to  worship.  1 

We  live  to-day  in  an  age  of  discoveries,  of  awak- 
enings. Things,  seen  for  centuries,  are  suddenly 
dawning  on  our  realisation  as  facts,  as  truths.  In 
every  branch  of  science,  of  philosophy,  of  religion, 
is  this  so.  And  as  each  truth  is  newly  realised  and 
is  added  to  the  store  of  understood  things,  we  find 
in  the  new  understanding  some  kinship,  some  rela- 
tionship to  other  truths.  All  truths  point  to  a  uni- 
versal truth;  all  the  divisions  of  nature  are  closely 
akin  to  one  another. 

/  In  this  day  of  discoveries  there  have  been  revela- 
tions in  every  branch  of  science  and  many  inven- 
tions based  on  these  revelations.  But  the  greatest 
of  revelations  are  those  which  pertain  to  the  origin, 
purpose,  and  extent  of  life.  )Through  all  ages 
the  quest  of  thinking  men  has  been  for  an  under- 
standing of  the  origin  and  purpose  of  life;  in  our 
present  day,  above  all  questions  of  national  or  civic 
action,  the  question  of  the  whence  and  the  whither 
of  our  living  holds  the  greatest  interest  among  all 
classes  of  thinking  people.  And  it  is  in  its  fund  of 
truths  pertaining  to  life,  that  Nature  offers  its 
strongest  invitation  to  the  interest  of  mankind. 

In  admitting  the  kinship  between  all  the  divisions 
of  nature,  we  acknowledge  a  relationship  between 


FOREWORD  xi 

all  forms  of  life.  The  plant,  the  animal,  the  bird, 
the  fish,  the  human,  since  each  is  a  member  of  a 
living  species,  and  related  through  one  nature,  per- 
haps a  single  origin,  must  in  the  habits  and  actions 
of  its  living  portray  characteristics  of  similarity 
to  every  other  species.  It  is  for  us  to  devote  our- 
selves to  the  study  of  these  other  forms  of  life, 
in  order  to  find  out  the  truths  which  each  may  hold, 
the  secret  keys  to  the  great  mysteries  of  life. 

THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS  is  the  unlocking 
of  the  doors  which  have  barred  us  from  the  mys- 
teries of  the  plant  kingdom.  It  is  an  entrance  into 
the  private  life  of  plantkind.  What  secrets  we 
may  learn  from  the  plant  nature  and  habits  and 
characteristics  to  help  us  in  understanding  the 
origin,  purpose,  and  extent  of  life,  can  be  found 
only  by  an  intimate  acquaintance  with  the  inner 
life  of  the  plants. 

Only  through  many  years  of  close  association 
can  one  hope  faithfully  to  describe  the  life  and 
character  of  a  race  of  people.  And  only  through 
close  application,  conscientious  research,  a  patience 
that  comes  only  from  love,  can  one  understand  the 
nature  and  habits  of  plants. 

/  With  THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS,  I  am  blaz- 
ing a  trail.  In  many  of  the  plant  acts  described, 
I  am  declaring  heretofore  unpublished  truths, 


xii    THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

truths  which  must  unquestionably  meet  the  censure 
of  the  hook-taught  botanists  of  the  old  schools,  but 
which  will  quite  as  unquestionably  meet  the  entire 
approval  of  those  naturalist-botanists  of  the  more 
modern  type,  who  accept  no  result  without  its  cause 
and  who  study  life  for  the  love  of  it,  with  no  pre- 
scribed limitations  of  fact  or  possibility.  To  many 
of  these,  the  truths,  here  set  forth  for  the  first 
time,  come  as  a  verification  of  their  own  theories. 
In  the  preparation  of  this  work  I  have  repeatedly 
been  questioned  by  interested  friends,  educated 
men  and  women,  who  wondered  at  many  of  the 
simplest  statements  of  the  characteristics  and  ac- 
tions of  the  different  plants.  "Is  this  true?"  has 
been  the  surprised  inquiry.  "Do  plants  really  set 
traps  and  catch  fish?"  "Do  they  actually  keep 
servants  and  employ  standing  armies?"  "Isn't  that 
merely  a  figure?" 

/  It  is  amazing — the  average  child  reaches  man- 
(  hood  or  womanhood  with  a  surprising  lack  of 
knowledge  concerning  the  simplest  natural  objects 
about  it.  Educated  in  the  great  colleges  of  the 
country,  having  laboured  through  "courses"  in  bot- 
any, the  student  too  often  comes  forth  with  a  vague 
impression  that  "chlorophyll  is  green  stuff," 
"plants  are  fertilised  by  bees,"  and  with  decided 
likes  and  dislikes  for  plants  in  the  edible  form  of 


FOREWORD  xiii 

table  vegetables.  The  fact  that  in  studying  plants 
he  has  been  studying  living  organisms,  beings 
which  think  and  feel,  which  have  souls  and  wor- 
ship, fellow  members  of  a  great  universe,  has  never 
entered  his  thought.  The  appalling  thing  in  this 
regarding  of  plants  as  mere  things  is  not  the  ap- 
parent slight  to  the  plant,  but  the  real  loss  to  the 
student  in  his  lack  of  appreciation  of  the  wonder 
and  beauty  around  him.  ") 

It  is  therefore  with  the  earnest  hope  that  in  this 
work  the  young  student,  the  future  man  or  woman, 
as  well  as  the  adult,  may  find  a  revelation  of  the 
living  things  about  him,  that  I  have  prepared  THE 
HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS. 

If  in  its  entertainment  it  encourages  a  little 
greater  interest  in  the  other  species  of  life,  a  little 
greater  love  for  the  plant  species,  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  of  all  forms  of  life,  and  a  little  greater 
respect  for  the  Divine  Source  of  all  Life,  it  will 
have  accomplished  its  purpose. 

ROYAL  DIXON. 

NEW  YORK,  May,  1914. 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER 
I 

PLANTS  THAT  WALK    

PAGE 

1 

^L 

II 

PLANTS  THAT  EAT  INSECTS  .... 

11 

\ 

III 

PLANTS  THAT  FISH 

21 

*!L 

v 

IV 

PLANTS  THAT  MIMIC 

26 

w 

V 

PLANTS  THAT  DEFEND  THEMSELVES     . 

34 

VI 

PLANTS  THAT  KEEP  A  STANDING  ARMY 

AND  NAVY;  PLANTS  THAT  EMPLOY  AN 

AERIAL    SQUADRON;     PLANTS     THAT 

KEEP  SERVANTS  AND  LIVE  STOCK     . 

52 

VII 

PLANTS  THAT  ROB,  PLUNDER,  AND  MUR- 

DER                       .                                ... 

60 

VIII 

PLANTS  THAT  ARE  ATHLETES     .      .      . 

72 

IX 

PLANTS  THAT  RIDE  ON  ANIMALS     . 

90 

X 

PLANTS  THAT  PREDICT  THE  WEATHER; 

COMPASS   PLANTS;   DAME   NATURE'S 

ALMANAC       . 

97 

XI 

PLANTS  THAT  TELL  THE  TIME  OF  DAY; 

PLANTS  THAT  KEEP  A  DIARY  . 

104 

XII 

PLANTS  THAT  BUILD  AIRSHIPS   . 

111 

XIII 

PLANTS  THAT  BUILD  ISLANDS     . 

118 

XIV 

PLANTS  THAT  PRODUCE  LIGHTS;  PLANTS 

THAT  SEE      

128 

XV 

PLANTS  THAT   CARRY   LIFE-INSURANCE 

133 

XVI 

PLANTS  THAT  KIDNAP      

143 

XVII 

PLANTS  THAT  ENTERTAIN      .... 

151 

XV 

xvi  CONTENTS 

CHAPTEB  PAGE 

XVIII    PLANTS  THAT  Go  TO  SLEEP  ....     157 
XIX    PLANTS   THAT   HIDE  THEIR   BLOSSOMS 

AND  THEIR  FRUIT 165 

XX    THE    COURTSHIP    AND    MARRIAGE    OF 

PLANTS 170 

XXI    PLANT- ANIMALS  AND  ANIMAL-PLANTS    .     179 
XXII    THE  MENTALITY  AND  SPIRITUALITY  OF 

PLANTS  185 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

AMERICAN  WISTARIA.     Kraunhia  frutescens  .       .        .      Frontispiece 

FACING 
PAGE 

TRAILING  ARBUTUS.     Epigeia  repens 8 

TULIPS.     Tulip  picotee 9 

PITCHER-PLANT.     Sarracenia  purpurea 18 

MOCCASIN-FLOWER.     Cypripedium  acaule       .....  19 

MOTH  ORCHID.     Cypripedium .       .  28 

YELLOW  LADY'S  SLIPPER.     Cypripedium  pubescent     ...  29 

TAR-FLOWER.     Bejaria  racemosa 42 

CACTI 50 

GLOBE  THISTLE.    Echinops 51 

WATER-LILIES.     Nymphcea  odorata 68 

INDIAN  PIPE  (Monotropa  uniflora)  and  BEECH-DROPS  (Mono- 

tropa  Hypopitys) 69 

JIMSON-WEED.     Datura  Stramonium 80 

WITCH-HAZEL.     Hamamelis  Virginica         ....'..       81 
YELLOW  JASSAMINE.     Gelsemium  sempervirens       ....       88 

UNICORN-PLANT.     Martynia  proboscidea .96 

SUNFLOWER.     Helianthus 97 

DAY  LILY.     Hemerocallis  fulva 106 

MOONFLOWER.     Ipomcea  Bona-nox 107 

DANDELION.     Taraxacum  officinale 112 

GOLDENROD  (Solidago)  and  MILKWEED  (Asclepias)    .       .       .113 

MARIGOLD.     Tagetes  erecta 128 

NASTURTIUMS.     Tropceolum  nanum 129 

DAFFODILS.    Narcissus  telamonius  plenus .138 

xvii 


xviii  ILLUSTRATIONS 

FACING 

MOUNTAIN  LAUREL.     Kalmia  latifolia 139 

JACK-IN-THE-PULPIT.    Arisatma  triphyttum     .       .       .       .       .148 

STARRY  CAMPION.     Silene  steUata     . 149 

YUCCA.     Yucca  filamentosa 154 

MARSH-MARIGOLD.     Calthra  palustris 155 

NIGHT-BLOOMING  CEREUS.     Cereus  grandiflarus        .       .       .160 

JIMSON-WEED.    Datura  Stramonium 161 

PEANUT  or  GROUNDNUT.     Arachis  hypogcea  .       .        .       .       .     166 

COMMON  THISTLE.     Cirsium  lanceolatum 167 

FLAME  AZALEA.     Azalea  lutea 174 

WOOD  SORREL.    Oxalis  acctosella 190 

TRUMPET  VINE.     Tecoma  radicans     .  ,     191 


THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 


In  all  places,  then,  and  in  all  seasons, 

Flowers  expand  their  light  and  soul-like  wings, 

Teaching  us,  by  most  persuasive  reasons, 
How  akin  they  are  to  human  things. 

— LONGFELLOW. 


THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF 
PLANTS 


PLANTS    THAT    WALK 

In  Malabar,  or  Deccan,  spreads  her  arms, 
Branching  so  broad  and  long,  that  in  the  ground 
The  bended  twigs  take  root,  and  daughters  grow 
About  the  mother-tree,  a  pillared  shade, 
High  over-arched,  and  echoing  walks  between. 

— MILTON,  on  the  Indian  Fig  (Paradise  Lost). 

THERE  are  in  plants  many  different  kinds  of 
movement,  besides  the  folding  together  of 
the  leaflets,  the  drooping  of  the  stems,  the  opening 
of  the  flowers,  the  shooting  forth  of  certain  seeds, 
the  propelling  motion  of  airship  varieties,  and  the 
regular  climbing  habits  of  other  species.  Plants 
migrate  as  do  birds  or  animals :  that  is,  they  travel 
and  establish  themselves  without  the  aid  of  man  in 
other  territory  than  their  former  homes. 

The  wind  is  the  most  common  agent  in  the  scat- 
1 


2      THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

tering  of  plants;  especially  is  this  true  in  moun- 
tainous countries,  and  near  the  sea,  where  the  val- 
leys and  cliffs  are  swept  by  the  wind,  and  the  tiny 
seeds  are  often  carried  together  with  dust  and  sand 
for  great  distances.  The  wind  plants  the  sides  and 
crevices  of  the  most  lofty  mountains,  some  plant 
seeds  being  driven  even  across  the  Mediterranean 
Sea  or  the  Atlantic  Ocean,  since  they  are  frequently 
lighter  than  sand.  The  extreme  minuteness  of  some 
seeds  is  almost  incomprehensible  to  the  human 
imagination.  For  example,  a  single  capsule  of  a 
South  African  orchid  has  been  found  to  contain 
the  tremendous  number  of  one  and  three-quarter 
millions  of  tiny  seeds  ! 

We  know  that  the  ashes  of  volcanoes  have  been 
driven  by  the  wind  more  than  a  thousand  miles  ;  in 
1845  an  eruption  took  place  in  Hecla,  Iceland,  and 
some  of  the  ashes  were  blown  to  Ireland  and  Eng- 
land. It  is  not  strange,  then,  that  often  after  a 
terrible  wind-storm  mountain-sides  and  high  cliffs 
are  covered  with  new  flowers  in  nature's  own  way  of 
planting. 

But  there  are  some  plants  which  travel  by  actu- 
ally walking  ! 

Currant  bushes,  wishing  to  multiply,  do  not  wait 
for  such  a  slow  process  as  dropping  their  seeds  to 
the  ground  and  letting  them,  little  by  little,  sprout 


A 


PLANTS  THAT  WALK  3 

and  develop  into  new  bushes.  They  are  much  too 
impatient  for  that ;  they  know  a  quicker  way.  They 
walk;  and  as  they  walk,  they  develop  new  plants. 
The  mother  bush  selects  a  good  healthy  branch; 
she  reaches  out  and  carefully  bends  it  down  to  the 
earth;  and  down  into  the  ground  she  sends  little 
roots  from  the  branch.  The  roots  collect  the  nour- 
ishment, send  it  up  into  the  branch,  and,  lo,  the 
branch  itself  is  soon  a  flourishing  currant  bush, 
ready  to  take  another  step  in  its  walk  by  sending 
out  a  branch  of  its  own  to  grow  rootlets  and  de- 
velop into  still  another  bush. 

In  the  same  way,  white  clover,  strawberries,  sweet 
potatoes,  Wandering  Jew,  and  many  forms  of 
grasses,  walk  by  planting  others  like  themselves./ 
Some  of  them  send  out  "runners"  which  walk  along 
the  ground,  like  the  common  verbena,  trailing  ar- 
butus, numerous  grasses,  and  trailing  lycopo- 
diums;  and  each  new  plant  or  offshoot,  as  soon 
as  it  begins  to  grow,  sends  out  its  own  runners. 
Thus  new  plants  are  continually  made. 

Skilled  gardeners  and  farmers  thoroughly  under- 
stand how  to  cover  certain  parts  of  potato 
vines,  for  instance,  with  layers  of  soil,  and  later, 
by  cutting  the  vine  near  where  it  has  taken  root, 
to  multiply  the  number  of  plants. 

Some    plants    have    "suckers" — branches    that 


4      THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

spring  from  their  parent  stem  underground  and 
later  appear  as  separate  plants ;  and  eventually  the 
little  connecting  link  or  thread  may  be  entirely  de- 
stroyed. It  is  in  this  way — "by  root,"  as  we  say- 
that  raspberry  bushes  increase  or  spread  out. 

Many  grasses  spread  in  the  same  way,  and  in  all 
directions;  some  have  joints  from  which  upright 
stems  arise,  and  which  send  down  into  the  earth 
roots  of  their  own,  interlacing  and  binding  the  soil 
and  thus  spreading  very  rapidly.  Such  grasses 
grow  several  feet  in  a  few  months.  The  quack- 
grass  is  a  typical  example  of  a  fast  walker  and  for 
this  reason  is  greatly  feared  by  farmers. 

Tulips  are  noted  for  their  ability  to  walk.  If 
planted  in  dark,  shady  places,  where  it  is  cold  and 
damp,  they  will  deliberately  walk  away  from  the 
dark  place  into  a  more  desirable  part  of  the  garden. 
They  usually  move  into  the  sun.  The  bulb  that 
was  planted  does  not  itself  actually  move,  but  its 
substance  is  transferred  little  by  little,  and  only  the 
outer  wrapping  of  brown  tissue  is  left.  The  bulb 
sends  out  a  delicate  shoot  that  runs  horizontally 
below  the  ground  until  it  has  reached  a  distance  of 
several  inches.  Then,  near  its  point,  a  swelling 
begins  to  take  the  shape  of  a  tulip  bulb,  which 
grows  larger  and  larger  as  the  food-material  of 
the  old  bulb  is  brought  into  it.  This  is  done  by 


PLANTS  THAT  WALK  5 

the  little  shoot.  If  the  particular  sunny  or  light 
spot  toward  which  the  tulip  is  walking  should  unex- 
pectedly be  shaded,  it  will  immediately  begin  to 
move  in  another  direction. 

Club-mosses  are  noted  travellers.  And  the  com- 
mon club-moss  has  acquired  for  itself  many  names 
as  well  as  possessing  many  lands.  It  flourishes 
from  the  arctic  to  the  tropical  regions  of  both  hemi- 
spheres ;  thriving  equally  well  under  all  conditions. 
It  is  used  extensively  for  Christmas  decorations, 
and,  were  it  not  for  its  manner  of  rooting  and 
walking,  it  would  run  a  risk  of  becoming  extinct; 
but  the  smallest  bit  of  the  plant  will  immediately 
take  root  and  begin  to  spread  out. 

Some  plants  have  an  entirely  different  way  of 
walking;  in  fact,  hopping  or  jumping  would  best 
describe  it,  as  there  is  no  real  connection  between 
the  mother  plant  and  the  new  little  ones.  A  good 
example  is  the  life-plant,  of  Bermuda,  a  tall, 
sturdy,  weed-like  plant  with  its  fatty  large  leaves 
deeply  scalloped.  It  drops  one  of  these  leaves  on 
to  the  ground;  and  a  few  days  later  four  or  five, 
sometimes  as  many  as  ten,  new  plants  are  grow- 
ing beside  the  mother:  one  plant  has  sprung  from 
every  scallop,  thus  forming  themselves  over  the 
earth  in  the  exact  shape  of  the  leaf,  like  happy 
children  in  preparing  to  play  certain  games. 


6      THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS. 

This  plant  is  scientifically  known  as  Bryophyllum 
calycinum.  When  the  little  plants  have  become 
sturdy  enough  to  develop  roots,  the  mother-leaf 
gradually  shrivels  up  and  drops  away,  leaving  her 
little  ones,  like  orphaned  children,  to  care  for  them- 
selves. 

The  curious  and  beautiful  walking- ferns,  per- 
haps the  most  difficult  of  all  ferns  to  raise  in  the 
ordinary  garden,  are  too  rare  to  be  found  at  many 
florists.  They  are  very  fastidious  and  demand  the 
shade,  drainage,  and  air — to  suit  their  particular 
tastes — that  only  the  larger  gardens  and  green- 
houses can  afford.  They  will  not  live  "in  captiv- 
ity," except  in  the  shadiest  nook  or  corner,  and  then 
they  produce  a  sickly  growth,  with  yellowish-green 
fronds,  which,  after  tapering  to  a  dainty  tip,  like 
tiny  threads,  drop  to  the  ground  and  take  root  as 
new  plants.  What  actually  takes  place  is  this: 
A  bud  forms  at  the  extreme  tip  of  the  frond  and 
develops  a  cluster  of  small  fronds  and  roots,  while 
swinging  in  the  air.  The  increasing  weight  of  the 
young  plant,  especially  when  wet  with  rain  or 
dew,  causes  the  long  frond  to  bend  its  tip  to  the 
earth,  and  there  take  root  as  a  new  plant,  accord- 
ing to  its  characteristic  and  very  curious  way  of 
walking.  Thus  the  ferns  spread  and  travel,  each 
little  frond  linked  to  its  neighbour  by  the  delicate 


PLANTS   THAT  WALE  7 

thread-like  chain  that  holds  the  colony  together  like 
little  children  clasping  hands. 

A  more  striking  example  of  a  plant  that  walks 
and  takes  possession  of  large  surfaces,  both  of 
land  and  water,  is  the  Marsilia.  It  belongs  to  a 
very  interesting  family  of  plants,  which  are  fern 
allies,  and  bear  neither  flowers  nor  real  seeds.  In 
appearance  it  closely  resembles  the  four-leafed 
clover.  The  Marsilia  has  a  long,  thread-like  root- 
stalk,  and  sends  out  little  creepers,  which  crawl 
along  and  then  shoot  up  into  leaves.  Many  bot- 
anists claim  that  it  grows  only  in  water;  but  really 
it  flourishes  best  when  growing  with  the  least 
amount  of  water.  When  it  grows  underneath  the 
water  the  leaves  peep  out  just  above  the  surface. 

Another  well-known  walking  plant  is  the  winter- 
green.  It  has  nodding  flowers  and  shiny  red  ber- 
ries. It  is  an  evergreen,  and  the  stem  usually 
creeps  below  the  ground,  sending  down  clusters  of 
roots  and  sprouting  up  new  stems,  from  which  at 
first  green  leaves  spring,  then  later  little  branches 
of  delicate  flowers,  and  lastly  wonderful  red  ber- 
ries. The  leaves  and  berries  are  good  to  eat,  and 
are  often  used,  especially  the  former,  in  flavouring 
candies  and  in  medicine.  Wintergreen  has  many 
different  names  in  various  parts  of  the  country. 
It  has  no  season,  but  blossoms  and  bears  fruit  from 


8      THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

spring  until  October.  It  grows  in  various  kinds 
of  soil,  but  prefers  dark,  shady  places,  with  plenty 
of  moisture.  What  a  striking  picture  it  makes, 
when  found  in  large  patches,  with  its  dark  green 
leaves,  its  red  fruit,  and  its  dainty  flowers  all 
showing  at  once! 

The  lovely  trailing  arbutus,  which  is  sometimes 
known  as  ground  laurel,  or  Mayflower,  is  another 
walking  plant.  Its  delicate  white  or  pink  flowers 
are  usually  hidden  beneath  its  leaves  away  under 
the  snow,  for  it  is  among  the  very  earliest  flowers 
of  spring  to  bloom. 

"Pure   and  perfect,  sweet   Arbutus 
Twines  her  rosy-tinted  wreath." 

Like  many  of  our  rarest  birds,  which  have  be- 
come extinct  because  of  their  wonderful  beauty, 
the  trailing  arbutus  not  only  threatens  to  become 
extinct,  but  is  already  unknown  in  many  local- 
ities where  it  once  flourished.  This  is  a  tragedy 
indeed,  and  lovers  of  this  early  spring  beauty 
should  not  only  refrain  from  gathering  too  many 
of  these  flowers,  but  should  encourage  others  to 
leave  them  to  grow.  Florists  often  send  young 
boys  out  to  collect  the  flowers,  and  they  thought- 
lessly pull  up  the  entire  plant. 

Its  method  of  progress  is  like  that  of  other  walk- 


TULIPS.     Tulip  picotee. 

Tulips  love  the  sunshine.     They  will  deliberately  walk  away  from  a  dark 
place. 


PLANTS  THAT  WALK  9 

ing  plants.  It  takes  a  step,  sends  down  little  roots, 
then  another  step,  until  it  is  satisfied.  Whittier 
claims  that  the  Mayflower  was  the  first  flower  to 
greet  the  Pilgrims  at  Plymouth  Rock  when  they 
landed;  and  that  it  greatly  encouraged  them  with 
its  beauty  and  courageous  habits. 

Another  good  walker  is  the  sensitive  mimosa, 
one  of  those  curious  sensitive  plants  which  show 
their  objection  to  being  handled  by  quickly  closing 
their  leaflets,  folding  them  together  in  pairs,  when 
touched.  The  sensitiveness  of  the  plant  is  so  ex- 
treme that  if  one  leaf  is  touched  roughly  the  neigh- 
bouring leaves  will  close  in  sympathy,  and  the  whole 
stem  droop.  They  remain  in  this  withered-looking 
condition  until  they  believe  the  danger  to  be  past, 
when  they  unfold  their  leaflets  and  brighten  up 
again. 

A  dainty  and  much-loved  walker  is  the  twin- 
flower.  Its  bell-shaped  blossoms  grow  in  pairs, 
with  their  drooping  heads  suspended  from  an  up- 
right stem.  They  are  a  delicate  crimson-pink,  and 
there  is  about  them  a  delightful  fragrance  that  is 
like  the  odour  of  almond  blossoms.  The  plant  loves 
the  mossy  ground  of  deep  woods,  where  it  walks 
over  a  large  area. 

But  among  the  great  walkers  must  be  mentioned 
the  many  grasses  and  sedges  which  thrive  along 


10    THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

the  sandy  shores  and  vast  marsh  lands.  There 
are,  too,  the  familiar  fresh- water  sedges;  but  the 
most  striking  examples  are  to  be  found  in  the  sand- 
loving  grasses  near  the  sea.  The  marram  grass, 
seaside  oats,  and  St.  Augustine  grass,  are  examples 
of  this  type,  which  walk  with  their  thin,  creeping 
roots  over  the  surface  of  the  sands.  So  rapid  is 
their  progress  and  so  widely  diverse  are  their 
meanderings,  that  they  form  great  and  very  useful 
nets,  which  hold  down  the  drifting  sands. 

Men  living  along  the  shores  of  the  sea  appreciate 
the  value  of  these  walkers  as  allies  in  maintaining 
the  physiographical  outlines  of  the  coast  and  in 
protecting  their  cultivated  lands  from  injury  by 
drifting  sands.  As  a  result,  they  plant  seeds  of 
the  various  binding  grasses,  knowing  well  that, 
once  started  on  the  sides  of  a  dune,  the  walkers 
will  rapidly  cover  its  surface  and  bind  down  as 
permanent  and  immutable  prisoners  its  migratory 
grains  of  sand. 


II 

PLANTS   THAT  EAT   INSECTS 

"So  sensitive, 
It  catcheth  each  rover  that  doth  touch  its  leaves/1 

PLANTS  set  traps,  catch,  and  eat  flies,  bees, 
butterflies,  gnats,  ants,  fish,  and  even  large 
moths ! 

There  are  a  variety  of  animal  foods  which  are 
needed  to  satisfy  the  various  tastes  of  plants;  for 
the  same  menu  cannot  satisfy  all  kinds  of  plants, 
any  more  than  one  food  can  suit  the  palates  of  all 
human  beings.  Plants  have  their  likes  and  dis- 
likes in  food,  just  as  people  have  their  preferences. 
Most  of  the  insect-eating  plants  love  marshy  low- 
lands, and  in  such  localities  they  cannot  get  from 
the  earth  the  necessary  amount  of  nitrogen  and  sul- 
phur, which  all  plants  require.  As  a  result  they 
are  forced  to  resort  to  carnivorous  habits,  in  order 
to  obtain  the  requisite  nourishment.  They  set 
traps,  catch  their  prey,  kill  and  eat  it,  and  extract 
from  the  bodies  of  these  insects  the  food  required. 

The  carnivorous  plants  have  many  ingenious 
11 


12    THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

methods  of  securing  their  prey.  Some  actually  set 
traps  into  which  the  unsuspecting  traveller  is  lured ; 
some  so  place  their  bait  as  to  entice  the  prey  grad- 
ually into  their  innermost  dungeons,  from  which 
no  live  insect  ever  returns;  some  set  their  traps 
under  water,  for  they  like  fish;  others  diabolically 
imitate  the  mother-fish's  mouth,  so  that  the  fright- 
ened little  minnows,  in  time  of  danger,  may  rush 
into  it  for  safety. 

One  of  the  most  remarkable  of  the  insect-eat- 
ing plants,  really  marvellous  in  the  humanness  of 
its  cunning,  is  Venus's  fly-trap,  which  has  its  home 
in  the  swamps  of  North  Carolina.  The  leaf-stalks 
are  divided  into  two  parts ;  the  lower  part  performs 
the  work  of  a  real  leaf,  while  the  upper  part  is 
engaged  in  trapping  insects.  This  upper  part — 
the  leaf -trap — consists  of  two  halves,  edged  with 
a  long  row  of  teeth  and  covered  with  a  network  of 
fine  "nerves."  Like  all  expert  trappers,  the  plant 
is  so  alert  and  sensitive  that  the  slightest  touch  on 
one  of  the  nerve-hairs  causes  the  leaf  to  close  in- 
stantly, like  a  mouse-trap;  and  when  the  leaf  is 
closed  it  forms  a  trap  from  which  no  marauder 
can  escape. 

The  plant  spreads  its  leaves  out  along  the 
ground,  each  leaf  tipped  with  a  tempting  bit  of 
honey.  The  unsuspecting  insect  comes  eagerly  to 


PLANTS  THAT  EAT  INSECTS      13 

drink  of  the  nectar;  he  steps  on  one  of  the  sen- 
sitive nerve-hairs ;  the  leaf-trap  snaps  shut — and  the 
plant  devours  its  meat  at  leisure,  first  soaking  it 
with  a  sticky  digestive  fluid.  When  the  insect  has 
been  entirely  absorbed,  the  leaf  opens  again  and 
carefully  resets  its  trap. 

The  sundew  is  a  striking  plant  of  this  meat-eat- 
ing family.  What  a  harmless  looking,  dainty 
thing  it  is!  All  grouped  together  in  little  col- 
onies, it  grows  close  to  the  ground.  Its  leaves, 
which  are  arranged  in  small  rosettes,  are  covered 
with  scarlet  tentacles,  and  at  the  tip  of  each  of 
these  tentacles,  or  hairs,  is  a  minute  drop  of  honey, 
which  glistens  like  dew  with  the  sun  on  it:  hence 
the  plant's  name,  sundew.  From  the  centre  of 
the  rosette-leaves,  a  slender  stalk  shoots  up  sev- 
eral inches  into  the  air,  and  is  covered  at  the  upper 
end  with  delicate,  pinkish-violet  flowers.  The  re- 
sult of  this  beautiful  arrangement  of  colours  and 
forms  is  a  seductively  inviting  trap  to  the  unwary. 

However,  it  is  not  to  the  eye  of  the  insect,  but 
to  his  stomach,  that  the  most  direct  appeal  is  made. 
The  insects  are  attracted  not  by  the  flowers  but 
by  the  glistening,  dew-like  hairs;  and  as  soon  as  a 
poor  wanderer  tries  to  drink  the  drops  of  honey 
so  temptingly  displayed,  he  becomes  hopelessly 
entangled  among  the  sticky-ended  tentacles.  The 


14    THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

more  he  tries  to  free  himself,  the  more  hopelessly 
he  becomes  bound.  Finally  his  struggles  are  ended, 
and  the  flood-like  hairs,  having  poured  out  enough 
fluid  to  digest  him,  innocently  assume  their  normal 
condition  and  await  the  next  prey. 

The  sundew  is  very  widely  distributed  through- 
out the  world,  there  being  more  than  one  hundred 
species.  They  are  found  in  the  marshy  regions  of 
North  and  South  America,  in  India,  China,  and 
all  of  Europe.  Their  general  habits  are  very  much 
the  same  everywhere. 

Interesting  experiments  may  be  made  with  the 
sundew  by  placing  it  near  a  sunny  window  in  a 
saucer  or  pot  filled  with  damp  sand.  Here,  if 
properly  fed  and  cared  for,  it  will  live  and  flourish 
for  a  considerable  length  of  time.  Its  favourite 
food  seems  to  be  a  particle  of  beef,  or  a  fly,  or  a 
bit  of  boiled  egg.  If  this  is  placed  near  the  outer 
border  of  the  leaves,  the  glands  which  touch  the 
food  will  immediately  begin  to  send  out  their  liquid 
to  secure  it.  As  a  result,  the  food-particle  is  soon 
rolled  and  pulled  to  the  centre  of  the  leaf,  where  the 
short  hairs  are  located;  long  and  short  tentacles 
then  pour  out  their  fluid  to  digest  it.  When  the 
meal  is  finished,  they  assume  their  original  posi- 
tions. 

Chief  among  the  insect-decoyers  are  the  siren- 


PLANTS  THAT  EAT  INSECTS      15 

mannered  pitcher-plants.  These  are  divided  into 
several  species,  which  are  widely  distributed 
throughout  the  world.  An  exceedingly  curious  and 
striking  species  is  the  American  pitcher-plant,  or, 
as  it  is  sometimes  called,  side-saddle  plant,  known 
to  botanists  as  Sarracenia  purpurea.  The  pitchers 
are  closed  at  the  bottom,  and  the  inside  contains  a 
considerable  quantity  of  an  attractive  fluid,  while 
the  upper  part  of  the  pitcher  is  covered  with  a  half- 
closed  lid.  It  is  the  leaves  of  the  plant  which  form 
the  pitchers ;  and  they  are  charmingly  coloured,  be- 
ing usually  of  a  dark  greenish-purple. 

The  plant  has  a  very  ingenious  manner  of  cap- 
turing its  prey.  The  inner  walls  are  covered  with 
a  number  of  hairs,  which  point  downward.  On 
these  hairs  is  the  sweet,  sticky  fluid,  that  lures  the 
insect  to  its  death.  The  fly  or  bee  enters  this 
palatial  death  chamber  very  cautiously.  There  is 
no  apparent  danger,  only  a  veritable  palace  of 
sweets!  But  lo,  once  within,  there  is  no  escape! 
The  hairs  on  the  walls,  which  have  bent  easily  for 
his  entrance,  project  to  prevent  him  from  crawl- 
ing out;  while  the  top  is  so  shaped  that  he  can- 
not fly  vertically.  As  a  result  he  soon  tumbles,  be- 
wildered, into  the  putrefying  liquid  below,  and 
there  miserably  drowns. 

These  murderous  plants  are  often  filled  with 


16    THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

hundreds  of  dead  and  decaying  insects,  especially 
ants.  As  a  result  the  plant  gives  forth  an  ex- 
tremely offensive  odour. 

An  interesting  cousin  to  the  purpurea  is  the  Sar- 
racenia  variolaris,  in  which  the  pitchers  are  formed 
in  much  the  same  way  as  in  the  purpurea.  The 
top,  however,  does  not  stand  up  as  an  open  lid,  but 
droops  over  the  mouth  like  a  cap.  These  delicately 
formed  pitchers  are  at  first  hermetically  sealed, 
and  when  the  lid  at  last  rises  they  are  nearly  half 
filled  with  a  colourless  fluid,  which  tends  to  dry 
up  rather  than  increase  as  the  plant  grows  older. 
The  liquid  at  the  bottom  of  the  pitcher  is  not 
sweet,  but  possesses  toxic  qualities  which  aid  in 
decomposing  the  prey. 

Sarracenia  Drummondi^  one  of  the  bog  plants 
with  carnivorous  habits,  has  developed  its  leaves 
to  such  a  high  degree  of  perfection  that  marvel- 
lous trumpet-like  pitchers  are  the  result!  These 
pitchers  are  simple  enough  when  viewed  from  the 
outside;  but  their  insides  are  skillfully  lined  with 
curved  hooks  and  hairs  which  in  some  species  are 
sufficiently  powerful  to  hold  small  birds  that  have 
been  lured  into  the  death-traps.  The  Drummondi 
grows  in  the  pine  barrens  of  America,  especially 
in  Georgia,  Florida,  and  the  Carolinas.  Its  bril- 
liant purple  blossoms,  which  droop,  umbrella- 


PLANTS  THAT  EAT  INSECTS      17 

fashion,  on  the  stem,  and  its  dainty  lace-veined 
pitchers  with  their  shield-like  wings,  make  the  plant 
one  of  the  most  attractive  of  the  insect-eaters. 

But  while  these  blood-thirsty  plants  cunningly 
deceive  and  destroy  many  insects  in  order  to  feast 
upon  them,  there  are  at  least  two  species  of  insect 
that  seek  their  homes  and  food  from  the  plants. 
One  of  these  is  a  small  moth,  marked  with  greyish- 
black  and  yellow  across  its  wings  and  back.  These 
tiny  moths  move  around  in  the  pitchers  as  though 
in  a  miniature  palace!  And  it  is  a  palace  to  them; 
for,  from  the  time  the  parent  moth  first  lays  her 
eggs  at  the  mouth  of  the  pitcher,  until  the  young 
moth  eats  her  way  through  the  bottom  of  the  leaf, 
it  is  a  veritable  paradise  of  luxuries.  The  small 
egg  hatches  into  a  larva  which  weaves  for  itself 
a  thin  silken  shawl.  The  larva  feeds  on  the  plant 
until  the  walls  cave  in,  when  the  gaudy  moth  sails 
forth  into  the  world. 

The  other  species  of  insect  which  finds  a  genial 
haven  in  these  pitcher-plants  is  a  fly,  which  in  its 
larval  state  feeds  on  the  decaying  bodies  of  the 
putrid  insects  at  the  bottom  of  the  pitcher,  and 
finally  bores  through  the  leaf  and  drops  to  the 
ground,  from  which  it  later  arises  a  full-fledged 

%. 

These  two  species  of  insect  evidently  do  not  suit 


18    THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

the  taste  of  the  voracious  pitcher-plant;  thus  they 
not  only  escape  being  eaten,  but  they  get  revenge 
for  the  injury  done  to  others! 

Of  all  lands  where  the  pitcher-plants  thrive,  the 
island  of  Borneo  seems  to  be  their  paradise.  They 
are  as  plentiful  in  the  mountains  there  as  the  wild 
morning-glory  is  in  America;  small  shrubs,  trees, 
and  bushes  are  covered  with  their  variegated  and 
variously  shaped  pitchers.  Some  look  like  small 
trumpets,  others  are  like  dwarfed  gourds;  but  all 
seem  diabolically  planned  death-traps! 

Of  all  plants  which  have  the  insect-eating  habit, 
perhaps  none  is  more  unusual  than  the  Darling- 
tonia.  It  is  unquestionably  the  most  beautiful  of 
the  pitcher  family,  yet  it  is  the  least  known.  This 
may  be  accounted  for  by  the  fact  that  it  grows 
high  in  the  mountains,  and  is  exceedingly  rare.  In 
the  swampy  marsh-lands  of  Mount  Shasta,  Cali- 
fornia, it  is  often  found,  but  usually  only  by  bot- 
anists. It  closely  resembles  the  Sarracenia;  the 
pitchers  are  curved,  and  the  cap  extends  into  a 
long  cover  overhanging  the  mouth.  Its  leaves  look 
like  the  tail  of  a  beautiful  bird. 

Many  of  the  orchids — such,  for  instance,  as  the 
dainty  moccasin-flower,  loved  of  the  mountain 
children — so  shape  their  flowers  that  wingless  in- 
sects decoyed  into  them  have  small  chance  of  escape. 


PITCHER-PLANT.     Sarracenia  purpurea. 

The  pitcher-shaped  leaves  form  traps  to  catch  the  insects  which  this  plant 
devours. 


MOCCASIN-FLOWER.     Cypripedium  acaule. 
Insects  have  small  chance  to  escape  when  once  caught  within  these  blossoms. 


PLANTS  THAT  EAT  INSECTS      19 

These  orchids  are  not  considered  insect  eaters,  but 
they  undoubtedly  draw  a  certain  amount  of 
ishment  from  the  decayed  bodies  of  their  insect- 
prey. 

The  habits  of  the  carnivorous  plants  are  such 
that  it  is  not  unreasonable  to  suppose  that  it  is 
merely  a  matter  of  proportion  that  determines  the 
size  of  the  prey  such  plants  would  be  able  to  kill 
and  eat ;  that,  in  truth,  were  the  plant  of  sufficiently 
great  development,  it  might  even  become  strong 
enough  to  kill  a  man.  In  fact,  more  than  one 
traveller  reports  that  such  a  plant  does  exist,  and 
is  the  terror  of  the  natives  where  it  grows. 

This  man-eating  plant  grows  in  Nicaragua,  near 
Lake  Nicaragua,  and  is  always  found  in  the  deep 
swamps.  The  natives  have  rightfully  named  it 
"DeviFs-snare" ;  and  for  horror  it  has  no  rival. 
This  vampire-vine  is  not  unlike  the  weeping  willow 
denuded  of  its  leaves,  but  it  is  of  a  blackish-brown 
colour,  covered  with  a  thick  gluey  resin,  that  aids 
it  in  binding  its  prey.  By  means  of  its  finger-like 
claws  it  is  enabled  to  catch  small  animals,  and  en- 
velop them  in  a  network  of  its  diabolical  arms. 
Here  they  are  hopelessly  held  until  the  last  drop 
of  blood  is  drawn  from  their  bodies  by  its  infini- 
tesimal sucking-mouths. 

There  is  an  insidious  suggestion  in  the  habits  of 


20    THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

this  Devil's-snare  which  stirs  in  the  imaginative 
mind  vague,  unnameable  dread.  If  this  be  possible 
with  one  plant  already  known  to  exist,  where  is 
the  hindrance  to  the  attainment  of  similar  or 
greater  power  by  the  number  of  other  carnivorous 
plants,  which  already  show  by  their  habits  traits  so 
cruel,  so  cunning,  so  avaricious,  as  to  cause  a  shud- 
der of  horror  to  one  observing  them  even  in  their 
present  diminutive  form. 

There  is  another  plant,  a  parasitical  native  of 
Sumatra,  whose  flower  already  has  attained  propor- 
tions that  would,  were  it  carnivorous  in  its  habits, 
render  it  a  thing  to  be  avoided  by  human  beings 
and  animals  for  fear  of  their  lives.  This  is  the 
ponderous  Arnoldi,  the  flower  of  which  is  described 
by  Dr.  Arnold,  its  discoverer,  as  measuring  "a  full 
yard  across,"  the  bowl  for  nectar  being  large 
enough  to  hold  twelve  pints,  and  the  weight  of  a 
single  blossom  being  about  fifteen  pounds.  Disas- 
trous indeed  might  be  the  results  if  such  a  giant 
plant  were  to  develop,  like  the  sundews  and  pitcher- 
plants,  a  taste  for  meat! 


Ill 

PLANTS  THAT  FISH 

LIKE  certain  land  plants,  which  through  gen- 
erations of  struggling  have  acquired  car- 
nivorous habits,  there  are  certain  aquatic  plants 
which  have  learned  to  set  traps  and  fish  for  their 
daily  fare. 

Plant  beings,  both  land  and  water,  which  can- 
not move  from  their  places,  nor  wage  warfare  with 
hoofs,  daggers,  or  teeth,  have  learned  the  value  of 
the  nitrogenous  elements  to  be  found  in  decaying 
animal  matter,  and,  having  recognised  the  need, 
have  arranged  their  habits  of  living  accordingly. 

There  are  many  carnivorous  sea  plants,  which 
live  entirely  on  small  forms  of  animal  life,  their 
prey  varying  in  size  from  the  tiniest  animalcule  to 
minnows  and  similar  small  fish,  and  in  some  in- 
stances to  forms  of  animal  life  of  decidedly  more 
formidable  dimensions. 

The  means  of  catching  fish  used  by  marine  plants 
include  an  interesting  array,  ranging  from  baited 
21 


22    THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

traps  to  "stinging"  harpoon  hairs,  from  hidden 
snares  to  electric  shocks. 

The  bladderwort  (Utricularia)  is  perhaps  one 
of  the  most  strikingly  ingenious  fishing  plants. 
The  bladderwort  is  dependent  upon  the  water  for 
its  food-supply,  for  from  its  stock  of  small  animal 
life  the  plant  draws  nourishment.  The  name  of 
this  plant  is  derived  from  the  small  bladders  or 
fishing  nets  which  are  scattered  over  its  leaves  and 
stems.  In  some  countries,  generally  tropical 
countries,  the  bladderwort  actually  grows  on  the 
sides  of  trees,  like  numerous  other  air-plants,  main- 
taining its  carnivorous  habits  and  appetites,  but 
satisfying  them  with  insects  of  the  land  instead  of 
aquatic  animal  life.  But  its  general  habitat  is  the 
water,  in  small  lakes,  ponds,  and  wet  ditches,  and 
there  we  must  look  if  we  would  find  it  fishing  for 
its  dinner. 

The  bladders  or  sacs  of  the  plant  are  apparently 
devised  especially  to  entrap  animal  life.  Little 
fish  swim  into  a  mouth  or  opening  at  one  end  of 
the  oval  bladders  and  the  doors  swing  in  before 
them  allowing  the  fish  to  enter;  but  when  they 
would  depart,  the  doors  will  not  accommodatingly 
open  out,  and  the  minnows  find  themselves  pris- 
oners. There  they  die  and  their  decaying  bodies 
are  slowly  fed  upon  by  the  voracious  plant. 


PLANTS  THAT  FISH  23 

Other  forms  of  the  bladderwort  have  devised 
different  ways  of  luring  and  capturing  their  prey. 
There  is  a  species  that  shapes  its  "nets"  and  very 
cunningly  curves  its  leaves  under  the  water  to 
imitate  the  mouth  of  the  mother  fish.  The  baby 
fishes,  when  frightened  from  any  cause,  swim  in 
for  protection,  their  entrance  stirring  sensitive 
nerve-hairs  that  cause  the  leaves  to  close.  On  the 
inside  of  these  leaves  is  a  rough,  spiky  surface, 
which,  on  the  closing  of  the  walls,  renders  pas- 
sage through  them  an  impossibility.  So  the  tiny 
fish  are  imprisoned  and  gradually  devoured,  giv- 
ing nourishment  to  the  plant  that  has  betrayed 
them.  When  the  plant  finds  its  larder  empty,  the 
leaves  are  opened  out  again,  to  procure  a  new 
supply. 

Despite  its  foul  and  decaying  contents,  the  vora- 
cious bladderwort  presents  a  remarkably  dainty  ex- 
terior, with  its  strange,  aerial  stems  which  are  cov- 
ered with  marvellously  beautiful  white  and  green 
flowers.  These  flowers  appear  at  a  short  distance 
as  though,  like  Mohammed's  coffin,  they  were 
miraculously  suspended  in  the  air.  Perhaps  their 
beauty  is  but  an  additional  lure  to  the  unwary! 

An  interesting  "fishing  plant"  is  one  that  is  found 
on  the  coast  of  Africa,  known  as  "trembling 
leaves."  This  plant,  however,  does  not  do  the  fish- 


24    THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

ing  itself,  but  is  used  by  the  natives.  They  powder 
the  leaves  and  mix  them  with  sand  and  lime;  the 
mixture  is  then  scattered  by  divers  in  holes  and 
caves  where  fish  are  plentiful.  The  fish  become 
stupefied  and  immediately  rise  to  the  top  where 
they  are  caught  by  the  natives  in  small  fish-nets. 

There  are  certain  kinds  of  fish  which  for  pur- 
poses of  safety  attach  their  eggs  to  aquatic  plants, 
and  as  a  result  the  seaweed  forests  are  covered  with 
millions  of  fish-eggs  and  nests.  The  close  proxim- 
ity of  these  plants  and  fish  results  frequently  in 
the  imitation  by  the  fish  of  both  the  appearance 
and  the  habits  of  the  plant.  An  interesting  exam- 
ple of  this  is  the  case  of  a  strange  fish  which 
strongly  resembles  the  sargasso,  among  which  it 
lives  and  builds  its  nest.  This  floating  nest  is  the 
repository  of  the  fish's  eggs.  The  young  hatch 
in  their  floating  cradle,  which  not  only  affords 
them  bits  of  green  food  to  eat,  but  acts  as  a  hid- 
ing-place against  larger  fish,  for,  as  they  are  so 
strikingly  like  the  plant  of  which  their  nest  is 
composed,  they  are  easily  concealed. 

Perch  invariably  attach  their  nests  to  floating 
plants. 

There  are  other  fish,  like  the  stickleback,  which 
build  their  nest  of  "weed"  and  attach  it  to  a  sta- 
tionary water  plant,  where  it  looks  very  much  like 


PLANTS  THAT  FISH  25 

the  nest  of  a  humming-bird  depicted  hanging  from 
the  branch  of  a  small  tree. 

For  this  protection  and  shelter,  the  plants  de- 
mand some  return:  the  fish  must  defend  them  con- 
stantly from  mutual  enemies.  In  other  words,  the 
plants  keep  a  swimming  squadron  1 


IV 

PLANTS  THAT   MIMIC 

FOR  many  years  botanists  have  observed  the 
striking  resemblance  between  certain  harm- 
less unprotected  plants  and  others  which  are  well 
armed  by  nature  to  defend  themselves;  not  only 
do  plants  imitate  each  other,  but  frequently  they 
imitate  many  kinds  of  poisonous  insects,  moths, 
beetles,  lizards,  and  even  rattlesnakes.  Certain 
plants  actually  imitate  bad  odours,  carrion  of  all 
kinds,  obnoxious  weeds,  and  various  forms  and 
kinds  of  things  which  they  are  not,  from  disagree- 
able animals  to  harmless  pebbles.  These  mimetic 
resemblances  are,  in  most  instances,  so  striking  as 
to  defy  all  explanation,  and  they  occur  only  be- 
tween two  species  of  animals  or  plants  which  are 
found  in  the  same  region,  of  which  one  species  is 
thoroughly  protected  and  the  other  is  not.  Why 
does  nature  trouble  herself  with  all  of  these  curious 
external  resemblances?  It  is  comprehended  only 
in  the  light  of  mimicry,  and  under  the  theory  that 
unprotected  plants  mimic  dangerous  or  obnoxious 


PLANTS  THAT  MIMIC  27 

plants,  animals,  and  insects — or  in  some  cases  so 
subtly  imitate  the  surrounding  conditions  as  to 
pass  unnoticed — in  order  to  come  under  the  pro- 
tection of  those  better  equipped  for  defence. 

Every  one  knows  that  plants  become  changed  ac- 
cording to  their  habitat.  A  tree  from  a  tropical 
climate  becomes  a  dwarf  shrub  in  a  northern 
climate;  a  desert  plant  often  begins  to  drop  its 
prickles  when  placed  in  a  climate  and  under  con- 
ditions where  it  no  longer  needs  them;  water-loving 
plants,  like  the  mangrove  tree,  refuse  to  send  out 
aerial  roots  when  grown  in  inland  places,  and  in 
some  cases  they  actually  change  their  form.  There 
is  no  doubt  that  similarity  of  habitat  produces  a 
likeness  in  form.  Water  plants  nearly  invariably 
have  long  and  feather-like  leaves,  which  give  the 
impression  of  floating  or  swaying  in  the  water. 

A  plant  never  mimics  another  plant  or  an  insect 
without  some  good  reason.  Usually  it  is  to  deceive 
the  enemies  common  to  itself  and  to  the  better-de- 
fended plant  that  it  pretends  to  be.  Or  if  it  as- 
sumes the  shape  and  form  of  an  insect,  it  is  that 
flower-destroyers  may  pass  it  by. 

There  are  perhaps  few  examples  of  imitation  in 
the  plant  world  more  wonderful  than  that  found 
among  the  orchids.  There  is  the  bee  orchid,  with 
its  marvellous  labellum  (lip  or  lower  petal)  of 


28    THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

satiny  brown  marked  with  a  deep  yellow,  and  its 
two  side  petals  curiously  like  wings,  the  entire 
flower  so  simulating  the  form  and  colour  of  a 
bee  that  at  a  casual  glance  even  a  skilled  botanist 
might  mistake  a  cluster  of  its  flowers  for  a  number 
of  bees  on  a  twig! 

Another  near  relative  of  the  bee  orchid,  and 
equally  imitative,  is  the  fly  orchid,  whose  peculiarly 
formed  flowers  have  a  tiny  blue  spot  in  the  centre 
of  each,  exactly  like  that  of  certain  flies.  Its  long 
and  delicate  side  petals  are  like  the  antennae  of  a 
moth. 

Then  there  is  the  spider  orchid,  with  huge  trail- 
ing petals  resembling  a  spider's  legs  when  ready 
to  jump;  in  its  dark  centre  is  a  blackish-red  spot, 
characteristic  of  a  very  poisonous  and  much  feared 
tarantula. 

Other  orchids  assume  the  shape  of  frogs,  of 
lizards,  snakes,  birds,  moths,  or  butterflies ;  and  the 
green-man  orchid  is  thought  to  represent  the  figure 
of  a  man. 

These  plants  no  doubt  derive  a  protection  by 
this  form  of  mimicry  that  could  hardly  be  im- 
proved upon.  It  is  occasionally  so  marvellous  and 
is  carried  out  with  such  minute  details  of  structure, 
that  even  a  skilled  botanist  is  often  deceived.  As 
a  result,  the  plant  flourishes  unmolested  because 


MOTH    ORCHID.     Cypripedium. 

A  cluster  of  these  orchids  might  easily  be  mistaken  for  a  number  of  moths 
resting  oh  a  twig. 


YELLOW    LADY'S    SLIPPER.     Cypripedium  pubescent. 

This  is  not  so  successful  in  its  imitation  of  insects  as  are  some  of  the 

orchids. 


PLANTS  THAT  MIMIC  29 

of  the  evil  reputation  of  the  insect  or  the  plant 
that  it  mimics. 

A  unique  case  of  imitation  is  the  rattlesnake  iris 
which  grows  abundantly  in  the  western  part  of  the 
United  States,  especially  on  the  dry  plains  where 
cattle,  horses,  and  sheep  graze.  To  prevent  itself 
from  being  eaten,  this  plant  mimics,  by  means  of 
its  dry  seeds,  the  noise  of  the  rattlesnake;  and  not 
only  does  it  mimic  the  rattle  of  the  snake,  but  its 
fruits  are  held  in  small  glossy  black  capsules  not 
unlike  the  black  head  of  certain  other  snakes. 

There  is  a  species  of  red  lotus  which  grows  in 
the  tropics  whose  fruit-pods  are  formed  like  a 
wasp's  nest;  and  the  India-rubber  plant  has  roots 
whose  convolutions  and  contortions  are  like  so 
many  snakes  twisting  out  of  the  earth. 

If  we  examine  the  lichens  we  find  a  trumpet, 
a  hat,  and  various  letters.  Mildews  and  moulds 
arrange  themselves  into  cages,  clubs,  cups  and 
saucers,  umbrellas,  knives  and  forks,  snake-like 
creatures;  and  one  kind  of  fungus  imitates  the 
most  exquisite  lace. 

Strange  and  very  animal-like  plants  are  the 
Raoulias  of  New  Zealand.  They  grow  in  compact 
masses  on  the  sides  of  semi-barren  hills,  and  are 
so  strikingly  like  a  sheep  in  appearance  that  it  is 
not  uncommon  for  shepherds  to  approach  them  and 


30    THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

actually  touch  them  with  their  staffs  thinking  the 
plants  an  ill  or  lazy  animal ! 

Perhaps  one  of  the  most  unusual  instances  of 
real  mimicry  is  found  among  castor-oil  beans. 
They  assume  both  the  shape  and  the  colour  of  the 
coccinella  beetles,  and  so  escape  the  attention  of 
graminivorous  birds  which  would  be  likely  to  peck 
the  seeds  to  pieces  and  destroy  them.  They  look, 
too,  not  unlike  tiny  pebbles. 

The  sea-weeds  also  are  imitative.  They  mimic 
many  earthly  and  human  things:  the  broad  green 
and  red  fronds  are  perfectly  simulated  ribbons; 
the  numerous  forms  and  colours  of  algae  lie  mar- 
vellously close  to  laces,  frills,  threads,  nets,  and 
feathers  floating  in  the  sea.  What  a  world  of  imi- 
tations under  the  water!  Here  a  string  of  beads; 
there  a  graceful  sea-fan  carelessly  waving  at  some 
phantom  lover!  Beads,  necklaces,  jewels  all  dis- 
playing their  ornate  loveliness  to  any  one  who  will 
behold! 

An  interesting  form  of  plant  simulation  is  that 
which  is  found  in  a  certain  species  of  mistletoe. 
This  plant  is  a  native  of  Australia,  and  its  leaves 
imitate  so  closely  the  leaves  of  the  plant  on  which 
it  is  a  parasite,  that  only  a  skilled  botanist  or  nat- 
uralist can  distinguish  between  the  two. 

A  similar  example,  equally  interesting,  is  that  of 


PLANTS  THAT  MIMIC  31 

a  leafless  parasite  which  in  Mexico  grows  on  a 
leafless  cactus. 

Among  the  desert  plants,  the  cacti  claim  a  large 
share  of  natural  likenesses.  These,  as  well  as  other 
succulent  plants,  which  find  it  necessary  to  store 
up  sweet  juices  for  their  own  use  during  the  long- 
continued  droughts,  would  be  entirely  destroyed 
by  thirsty  and  hungry  cattle  and  other  animals 
were  it  not  for  their  ability  so  to  imitate  their 
surrounding  by  mimicking  the  grey  pebbles  and 
sands  as  to  pass  unnoticed. 

The  ice-plant,  one  of  the  Mesembryanihemums, 
covers  its  head  with  a  hoar-frost,  for  all  the  world 
like  a  piece  of  ice;  but  the  sun  does  not  melt  it, 
nor  do  the  rains  dissolve  it!  Other  forms  of  the 
MesembryantJiemums  are  composed  largely  of  suc- 
culent shoots,  and  so  closely  resemble  the  stones 
surrounding  them  that  they  pass  unnoticed  by  hun- 
gry and  thirsty  animals,  and  are  thus  allowed  to 
flourish  even  in  the  deserts  of  South  Africa. 

Almost  every  species  of  animal  or  insect  has  its 
imitator  in  the  plant  world:  the  horse's  shoe  is 
imitated  by  the  Hippocrepis;  the  bull's  head  is  rep- 
resented by  the  Trapa  bicornis.  There  is  a  species 
of  lotus  which  greatly  resembles  the  foot  of  a  bird, 
including  the  toes.  Some  of  the  lupines  have  seeds 
strikingly  like  tarantulas;  and  the  seeds  of  the 


32    THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

Dimarpholays.,  a  vine  resembling  the  gourd,  look 
precisely  like  small  dead  branches  or  twigs.  One 
kind  of  Scorpiurus  produces  pods  that  to  the  eye 
are  centipedes;  another  species  produces  worms  or 
caterpillars ! 

Plants  simulate  the  odours  and  perfumes  as  well 
as  the  forms  and  colours  of  "things  which  they  are 
not."  Some  simulate  the  odour  of  pepper,  of 
cheese,  cucumbers,  roast  beef,  sour  milk;  and  oth- 
ers, like  the  carrion  plant,  or  cuckoo-pint,  smell 
like  rotten  and  decaying  flesh;  still  others,  like  the 
roots  of  the  orris,  give  forth  a  delightful  perfume. 
The  dragon  arum,  a  native  of  southern  Europe, 
arrays  itself  in  the  most  gorgeous  costume,  whose 
regal  splendour  challenges  the  proudest  of  the 
floral  kingdom;  and,  yet,  as  soon  as  the  spadix  ap- 
pears, with  its  black  silky  dagger,  the  plant  gives 
forth  a  terrible  odour  which  attracts  large  num- 
bers of  insects,  that  aid  in  distributing  its  pollen. 

The  American  skunk-cabbage  is  another  example 
of  a  plant  that  attracts  the  attention  of  flies  and 
insects  by  imitating  the  odour  of  decaying  flesh. 
No  doubt,  owing  to  its  early  appearance  in  the 
spring,  if  it  did  not  have  this  offensive  odour  it 
would  be  quite  neglected  by  the  few  early  insects 
which  have  ventured  out  before  the  snow  disap- 
pears from  the  ground. 


PLANTS  THAT  MIMIC  33 

A  very  different  reason  for  mimicry  is  that 
shown  by  the  dead-nettle.  Its  cousin,  the  stinging- 
nettle,  belongs  to  a  poisonous  family,  and  is  well 
protected  by  "stinging  hairs."  Grazing  animals 
through  ages  of  experience  have  learned  to  give  it 
a  wide  berth !  The  dead-nettle,  on  the  other  hand, 
is  quite  harmless;  but  it  so  closely  mimics  its  evil- 
famed  relative  as  to  share  in  the  latter's  immunity ! 
The  horehound,  also,  shows  its  wisdom  by  mimick- 
ing the  well  protected  stinging-nettle.  This,  how- 
ever, seems  no  more  astonishing  than  the  curious 
resemblance  certain  seeds — like  the  maple,  elm,  ash, 
and  sycamore — bear  to  the  wings  of  evil-tasting 
moths  and  other  insects. 

A  striking  example  of  mimicry  is  the  pebble- 
briar,  of  the  Philippine  Islands.  Its  seeds  are 
spherical  in  shape,  and  some  have  flat  surfaces 
whose  colour  varies  from  a  light  sandy  shade  to  a 
reddish  brown.  They  not  only  imitate  amazingly 
certain  pebbles,  but  they  actually  give  the  appear- 
ance of  stratification  by  small  lines  which  circle 
them. 

Many  and  curious  are  the  ways  of  Mother  Na- 
ture for  the  protection  of  her  offspring! 


PLANTS   THAT  DEFEND   THEMSELVES 

THE  first  instinct  of  all  life — human,  beast, 
bird,  or  plant — is  the  instinct  of  self -pro- 
tection. This  is  one  of  the  greatest  evidences  of 
the  kinship  among  all  forms  of  life.  In  plant  life 
this  intuitive  self -protection  is  very  apparent:  so 
apparent  that  the  wonder  is  that  so  few  people 
consider  it. 

Plants,  like  animals  and  human  beings,  have  their 
numerous  enemies,  their  dangers  and  hardships, 
which  they  must  meet  and  overcome.  And,  just 
as  with  mankind  and  animals,  those  plants  which 
are  not  prepared  to  defend  themselves  against  their 
numerous  foes  and  destroyers  must  eventually  give 
up  the  battle  to  the  stronger. 

Every  day  of  every  season  with  plants  the  battle 
is  waged.  They  must  defend  themselves  against 
all  the  forces  of  nature,  such  as  winds,  heat,  cold, 
and  tides;  they  must  defend  themselves  against 
birds,  animals,  and  fish;  and  they  must  wage  in- 
genious warfare  among  themselves — the  weaker 


PLANTS  DEFEND  THEMSELVES     35 

struggling  against  the  stronger;  the  stronger  mer- 
cilessly crushing  the  weaker.  The  contention 
among  plants  is  bitter  and  frequently  cruel.  In 
addition,  they  must  survive  the  ravaging  onslaught 
of  the  all-destroying  human  kind.  The  extent  to 
which  they  progress  in  overcoming  these  obstacles 
marks  their  success  or  failure  in  the  struggle  of 
life. 

The  habitat  of  plants  largely  decides  their  type 
of  difficulties  and  dangers.  Thus  the  air  plant  is 
immune  from  the  pests  which  force  the  desert  plant 
to  protect  itself  with  daggers  and  prickles ;  aquatic 
plants  rarely  are  troubled  with  creeping,  wingless 
insects  or  burrowing  grubs;  arctic  plants,  such  as 
mosses  and  lichens,  need  no  defence  against  moths 
and  tropical  pests ;  while  plants  like  dandelions  and 
milkweeds,  which  send  their  children  out  into  the 
world  by  means  of  airships  and  balloons,  have  no 
fear  of  city  congestion.  So  all  plant  life,  as  all 
animal  and  human  life,  has  been  wisely  created, 
protected  from  certain  dangers  by  its  environment, 
and  provided  with  a  means  of  defence  against  those 
other  dangers  to  which  its  environment  subjects  it. 
For  none  is  the  burden  made  too  heavy;  for  all  is 
the  necessity  to  struggle  in  order  to  grow  and  live. 
In  the  plant  world  as  in  the  human  world  there  is 
a  law  of  compensation. 


36    THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

Thus  it  is  evident  that  plants  are  not  helpless 
victims  of  circumstance,  depending  on  the  charities 
and  wishes  of  every  other  creature,  but  are  of 
themselves  thoroughly  awake  to  their  importance 
in  the  world.  Each  plant  is  quite  prepared  to  hold 
its  own  against  its  enemies,  to  procure  the  means  of 
its  livelihood,  to  recognise  its  friends,  distrust  its 
foes,  to  grow,  develop,  multiply,  build  up  families 
and  enjoy  its  living,  to  seize  its  opportunities,  and 
to  create  new  ones — truly  in  all  ways  to  progress 
as  man  has  done. 

With  humans  the  art  of  self-defence  has  been 
developed  to  a  science.  For  every  danger  and 
hardship  an  adequate  means  of  contention  has  been 
devised.  Such  also  is  the  case  with  plants.  Some- 
times, like  soldiers,  banding  together  for  pur- 
poses of  concerted  resistance,  sometimes  fighting 
alone,  they  wield  against  each  enemy  the  weapon 
which  is  most  effective;  for  the  plants'  weapons 
are  quite  as  numerous  as  their  enemies.  Thorns, 
prickles,  poisons,  sticky  excretions,  odours,  sting- 
ing hairs,  and  many  others  are  the  defensive 
weapons  used. 

Perhaps  the  common  hawthorn  is  one  of  the  best 
examples  of  the  self-reliance  and  independence  of 
plants.  Through  ages  of  experience  this  plant 
has  learned  to  resist  the  attacks  of  all  destructive 


PLANTS  DEFEND  THEMSELVES    37 

forces.  Horses,  cattle,  and  sheep  fear  and  avoid  it ; 
small  animals  dodge  around  it;  even  man  refrains 
from  too  much  intimacy.  It  has  developed  an  ex- 
tremely sharp  thorn  at  the  end  of  each  branch;  at 
the  base  of  the  branch  is  a  bunch  of  spine-like 
needles  or  thorns;  and,  in  addition,  each  branch 
forms  in  itself  a  row  of  dagger-like  points;  the 
whole  presenting  a  formidable  resistance  to  the  on- 
slaughts of  destroying  animals.  And  yet,  even 
as  with  the  strongest  of  humans,  the  hawthorn  has 
its  annoying,  small  enemies — numbers  of  them — 
such  as  caterpillars  and  fungi,  which  it  cannot  fight, 
but  must  tolerate.  The  hawthorn  is,  however,  one 
of  the  most  independent  of  plants ;  and  being,  like 
man,  of  sociable  nature,  as  soon  as  its  success  in 
any  locality  is  assured  it  begins  to  gather  around  it 
many  agreeable  neighbours. 

There  are  three  types  of  dangers  against  which 
all  plant  life  is  forced  to  defend  itself:  insect  pests; 
voracious  animal  and  plant  life;  and  destructive 
natural  forces. 

For  the  land  plants,  the  wingless  insects,  such 
as  ants,  are  the  chief  enemies  in  the  pest  class.  In 
plant  life  there  is  a  rule  that  all  insects  which  do 
not  give  value  received  must  be  repelled.  The  fly- 
ing insect,  in  acting  as  a  carrier  of  pollen  from 
plant  to  plant,  earns  the  right  to  sip  honey  from 


38    THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

the  heart  of  the  flowers.  But  against  the  crawling 
insect,  which  comes  to  take  without  giving,  all  plant 
forces  are  arrayed ;  for  any  pollen  which  the  wing- 
less insect  may  carry  from  the  plant  is  lost  in  de- 
scending the  stem,  or  is  shaken  off  in  the  grass, 
and  therefore  wasted. 

It  is  not  uncommon  to  find  the  nectar  or  honey 
stored  deep  in  a  long,  trumpet-shaped  tube — as  in 
the  honeysuckle,  for  instance ;  in  the  nasturtium,  or 
the  columbine — so  that  only  the  welcome  guests 
may  partake  of  the  feast  by  means  of  a  long  pro- 
boscis, or  sucking  organ,  which  has  been  especially 
developed  for  that  purpose.  At  times,  however, 
even  this  device  is  insufficient.  Prowling  bees  and 
insects,  unable  to  gain  admission  at  the  proper 
entrance,  will  bore  through  the  wall  of  the  flower 
and  steal  the  honey  within.  But  in  this  case  the 
plant  answers  the  attack  by  developing  poisonous 
or  ill-tasting  juices  in  the  fibres  of  the  flower-wall, 
thus  keeping  the  insect  away.  For  every  enemy 
there  is  a  remedy:  the  plant  is  supplied  according 
to  its  needs. 

Very  many  plants  shape  their  flowers  so  as  to 
protect  the  honey  against  the  ravages  of  useless 
insects,  saving  it  to  tempt  the  pollen-bearers.  In 
the  common  toad-flax,  or  "butter-and-eggs,"  the 
petals  form  closed  doors  to  a  small  insect;  but  a 


PLANTS  DEFEND  THEMSELVES     39 

bee,  on  a  honey-gathering  trip,  attracted  by  the 
brilliant  touch  of  colour  at  the  tip  of  the  blossom, 
alights  on  the  end  of  the  lower  petal,  his  weight 
bears  it  down,  opening  the  door,  and  he  walks  in 
and  has  his  feast,  incidentally  brushing  the  pollen 
as  he  passes. 

This  means  of  protection — the  shape  of  the 
flower — is  only  one  of  many  means  followed  by 
various  plants.  Every  observant  person  has  no- 
ticed the  glossy,  varnish-like  stems  which  some 
plants  have.  This  varnish-covering  is  another 
means  of  defence  utilised  by  the  ingenious  plants. 
That  surface  with  its  glossy  sheen  presents  a  foot- 
ing far  too  slippery  for  any  of  the  nimble-footed 
ants  and  their  kin  to  ascend;  and  so  against  such 
incursions  the  honey-well  is  secured.  The  catkins 
of  the  willow  show  this  condition  admirably:  over 
their  surfaces  is  temptingly  displayed  a  nectar, 
so  sweet  and  seductive  that  winged  pollen-bearers 
are  attracted  from  all  directions  to  the  enjoyment 
of  the  repast,  but  this  same  exudation  renders  the 
stem  so  slippery  and  impassable  that  the  grasping 
wingless  insect  cannot  ascend. 

Another  very  common  defence  against  the  crawl- 
ing pest  is  a  sticky  glue,  which,  instead  of  allow- 
ing the  marauding  intruder  to  slip  back,  holds  him 
fast,  a  prisoner  dying  in  sight  of  the  joys  that  have 


40    THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

lured  him  to  destruction.    It  is  reasonable  to  sup- 
pose that  in  the  distant  future  some  of  these  plants 
which  win  their  prey  by  means  of  viscid  hairs  or 
surfaces  will  develop  into  insect-eating  plants,  as 
the  sundew,  Venus's  fly-catcher,  the  pitcher-plants,-* 
and  one  of  the  bladderworts  have  done.    Darwin* 
believed  that  many  plants,  such  as  the  saxifrages, 
not  classed  with  insect-eaters,  actually  get  some 
food  from  the  trapped  insects. 

But  the  mere  fact  that  a  plant  catches  insects  is  no 
proof  of  its  carnivorous  nature.  Numerous  plants 
have  their  leaves  and  stems  covered  with  sticky 
hairs,  which  continually  catch  insects ;  and  yet,  they 
show  not  the  slightest  tendency  to  absorb  or  digest 
the  food  thus  captured.  The  stems  and  leaves 
of  the  rhododendron,  some  species  of  solanum,  and 
the  stinking  groundsel,  all  use  this  method  of  trap- 
ping unwelcome  visitors. 

An  interesting  evidence  of  the  discretionary  pow- 
ers of  these  plants  is  the  fact  that  when  cold 
weather  drives  away  or  kills  the  crawling  insect 
life,  this  stickiness  ceases.  The  need  no  longer 
exists,  and  the  supply  dries  up.  In  the  same  way, 
the  gummy  fluid  on  the  scales  which  enfold  the 
leaf -buds  of  the  horse-chestnut  and  the  balsam 
poplar,  in  the  springtime,  disappears  when  no 
longer  needed. 


PLANTS  DEFEND  THEMSELVES     41 

There  are  some  plants  which  show  their  reason- 
ing in  a  different  method  of  defence  against  their 
insect  enemies.  Knowing  that  at  night  they  are 
safe  from  the  wingless  pest,  while  the  night  moths 
and  their  allied  pollen-distributors  will  still  be  at 
work,  these  plants  open  only  during  a  few  hours 
of  the  night,  and  send  forth  into  the  darkness  sweet 
odours  to  call  the  flying  messengers.  These  plants 
usually  develop  no  means  of  protection  other  than 
the  habit  of  night  blooming:  this  provision  is  ade- 
quate. An  exception,  however,  is  the  Jimson-weed 
(Datura  Stramonium] ,  which  not  only  emits  a  rank 
odour  to  ward  off  unwelcome  insects,  but  goes  to 
the  further  pains  of  covering  its  large  fruit  pods 
with  stout  prickles.  One  of  tfie  most  beautiful  of 
the  night  plants  is  the  night-blooming  cereus,  which 
has  a  perfume  so  strong  and  so  sweet  that  it  drowns 
all  other  odours  near  it. 

A  means  of  defence  similar  to  that  adopted  by 
the  night-bloomers  is  shown  by  those  plants  which 
bloom  only  in  the  early  morning,  when,  because  of 
the  dew-sprinkled  ground,  they  know  no  insects 
will  be  stirring.  The  rising  sun  warns  them  that 
it  is  time  to  close,  and,  obedient  to  his  warning, 
they  draw  the  shutters  against  the  approach  of  the 
gluttonous,  crawling  pests. 

The  plants  which  avoid  their  insect  enemies  by 


42    THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

coming  out  only  when  they  know  the  pests  will 
not  be  around  are  in  somewhat  the  same  class  as 
the  morally  weak  plants  which  buy  off  or  pay 
"blackmail"  to  their  enemies.  The  bird-cherry  is 
one  of  this  type;  many  of  the  vetches  also  bribe 
their  crawling  ravagers  by  feeding  them  from  a 
special  supply  of  nectar  that  is  stored  in  epidermic 
cells  on  the  under  side  of  the  leaves.  Insects, 
mounting  the  stems  in  quest  of  alluring  sweets, 
make  the  most  of  the  first  supply  that  comes  to 
hand,  revelling  on  this  until  their  desire  is  satis- 
fied, and  then  dropping  off  in  a  state  of  drunken 
satiation,  entirely  fooled  by  the  ingenious  plant  and 
thwarted  in  their  quest  for  the  rarest  wines  which 
have  lain  just  beyond.  It  is  the  oldest  of  human 
tricks ! 

Weapons  are  the  most  evident  means  of  defence 
man  has;  and  to  plants,  thorns,  spears,  and  dag- 
gers form  a  very  useful  and  common  protection. 
But  the  thorns  and  daggers  on  plant  stems  have 
not,  as  many  people  think,  like  Topsy,  "jes* 
growed."  Those  plants  which  have  adopted  exter- 
nal weapons  as  a  means  of  self-defence  have  done 
so  with  thought  and  consistency.  One  who  notes 
the  position  and  arrangement  of  thorn  armour  will 
see  that  all  spikes  and  daggers  point  down  to  meet 
the  scaling  forces.  The  guerilla  worm  or  insect 


TAR-FLOWER      Bejaria   racemoxa. 
its  honey-laden  flowers  from  crawling  insects,  the  plant  covers 
its  stalks  with  bristly  hairs. 


PLANTS  DEFEND  THEMSELVES     43 

that  attempts  to  take  any  thorned  plant's  treasure 
by  storm  will  find  the  first  steps  easy,  but  as  he  pro- 
gresses nearer  and  nearer  to  the  goal,  the  opposing 
points  become  more  numerous,  until  the  way  at  last 
becomes  impassable.  No  matter  how  the  worm 
turns,  a  hard  point  of  needle  sharpness  waits  to 
impale  him.  The  familiar  thistle  is  such  an  armed 
force,  a  thing  dreaded  of  robber  insects  and  vora- 
cious animals  alike,  for  its  cruel,  dagger  points;  yet 
the  pollen-bearing  honey-bee  rests  in  a  soft  bed  of 
purple  down  and  drinks  his  fill  unheeding  and  un- 
troubled by  the  bristling,  impregnable  armament 
which  makes  his  source  of  supply  inaccessible  to  the 
marauders  below. 

The  tar-flower  (Bejaria  racemosa),  growing  as 
it  does  in  the  pine  barrens  of  the  Southern  States, 
without  its  armour  of  prickly  hairs  would  stand 
little  chance  of  survival.  Its  blossoms  are  a  dainty 
white  with  a  delicate  pinkish  tinge,  and  its  leaves 
are  a  glossy  olive-green.  Grazing  animals  have 
learned  to  give  it  a  wide  berth  on  account  of  its 
prickles,  and  thus  it  is  allowed  to  flourish  unmo- 
lested. 

Aquatic  plants  meet  with  a  different  type  of 
insect  foes,  but  their  means  of  defence  is  largely 
similar  to  that  of  land  plants.  Against  larvae  and 
other  small  aquatic  life,  they  have  developed  sting- 


44    THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

ing  hairs,  poison  darts,  and  various  other  weapons 
of  defence;  while  acrid  juices,  poisons,  and  tough, 
fibrous  growths  assure  safety  from  both  insect  and 
larger  animal  life.  Some  plants  shoot  their  heads 
above  the  surface  of  the  water,  to  avoid  the  attack 
of  water  insects ;  and  then,  in  order  to  prevent  their 
enemies  from  climbing  up  the  stems  to  the  heads, 
they  exude  a  thick,  viscid  varnish,  which  both  op- 
poses the  passage  of  insects  and  protects  the  plant 
against  inclement  weather  conditions. 

Against  the  second  general  danger  to  plant  life 
— voracious  animals  and  voracious  or  hostile  plants 
— there  are  four  common  means  of  defence :  thorny 
or  dagger-like  weapons;  acrid  or  poisonous  qual- 
ities ;  offensive  odours ;  and  simulation  and  flight. 

The  first  defence  is  very  common.  Cattle  have 
learned  in  the  past  to  avoid  spinous  or  prickly 
plants,  the  knowledge  of  the  danger  of  interfer- 
ence with  such  plants,  which  ancestor  cattle  have 
learned  by  painful  experience,  having  become  an 
inherited  antipathy  in  their  descendants. 

Against  plants  and  grasses  which  secrete  silica 
this  antipathy  is  apparent  also ;  and  with  good  rea- 
son. All  animals  intuitively  have  learned  to  avoid 
the  rough,  "cutting"  grasses  and  the  bristly  plants. 
As  the  humans  in  ages  past  mixed  iron  with  their 
copper  to  make  the  weapons  more  durable,  so  have 


PLANTS  DEFEND  THEMSELVES     45 

the  plants  hardened  their  blades  with  silica.  The 
common  horsetail,  a  plant  of  this  species,  makes 
deadly  sick  those  unwise  cattle  and  sheep  which 
attempt  to  eat  it. 

There  are  many  juices  and  poisonous  secretions 
used  by  plants  in  defending  themselves  against 
animal  life.  One  of  the  most  common  of  these  is 
tannin.  It  is  found  in  the  bark  of  many  trees: 
in  the  beech,  the  walnut,  the  pecan,  and  the  hickory, 
in  the  tropical  acacia,  in  several  of  the  oaks,  be- 
neath the  shells  of  nuts,  and  encasing  the  repro- 
ductive germ  in  most  fruits. 

Here  once  more  is  evidence  of  the  reasoning 
power  of  plants.  Their  one  great  aim  is  repro- 
duction— the  perpetuation  of  their  kind.  To  this 
end  all  thought  and  action  in  plant  life  is  directed. 
It  is  for  this  reason  that  the  winged  insect,  a  pollen- 
carrier,  is  given  entree  to  the  soul  of  the  plant,  while 
the  crawler,  not  a  pollen-bearer,  is  resisted  with 
every  power.  To  the  plant  mind  or  instinct,  the 
preservation  of  the  fruit  is  nothing — it  is  merely 
a  soft  covering  for  the  germ  inside ;  but  the  preser- 
vation of  the  germ,  the  reproductive  possibility,  is 
everything.  Hence  the  fruit  is  an  edible,  inviting 
thing;  but  the  "stone"  or  "pit"  is  a  hard,  indigesti- 
ble piece  of  "waste,"  which  is  thrown  aside.  Thus 
it  is  provided  an  opportunity  to  germinate  in  new 


46    THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

fields,  and  so  the  original  purpose  of  the  parent 
plant  is  accomplished. 

The  sourness  and  bitterness  of  unripe  fruits  are 
due  to  the  temporary  secretion  of  acids  in  order 
to  keep  off  attacking  animals  and  birds  until  the 
seeds  are  ripe  and  ready  for  distribution.  This 
sourness  is  merely  a  defensive  move ;  once  the  seeds 
are  ready,  the  plant  softens  and  sweetens  its  fruits 
in  order  to  attract  to  itself  with  its  sweetness  the 
unintentional  seed-carrier. 

Odours  form  a  strong  protective  force  in  use  by 
many  kinds  of  plants.  These  by  their  off  ensiveness 
ward  off  the  attacks  of  depredatious  animals  and 
insects  which  otherwise  would  destroy  them.  There 
are  many  familiar  examples  of  this  means  of  de- 
fence: the  skunk-cabbage,  the  Datura,  snakeroot^ 
tobacco,  and  many  other  plants  employ  it;  one  of 
the  St.  John's-worts  has  an  odour  like  that  of  a 
goat. 

In  the  world  of  humans  there  are  always  a  nuin- 
ber  who  "fight  with  their  heels,"  who  run  from 
danger  to  the  shelter  and  protection  of  some 
stronger  person  or  force.  The  plants  which  seek 
safety  in  flight  are  not  so  numerous  as  are  the 
humans,  but  there  are  several  types  of  grasses  and 
plants  which  do  so.  In  southern  Texas  and  north- 
ern Mexico  there  is  a  well-known  grass,  much 


PLANTS  DEFEND  THEMSELVES     47 

sought  after  by  grazing  cattle  and  sheep,  called 
the  Muhleribergia  Texana.  This  grass  probably 
would  have  become  extinct  long  ago,  growing  as 
it  does  in  almost  desert  soil  where  pasturage  is  so 
much  in  demand,  had  it  not  sought  refuge  beneath 
the  thorny  branches  of  cacti  and  mesquite  bushes. 
The  cattle  fear  too  familiar  proximity  to  the 
thousand-pointed  cactus,  and  so,  in  spite  of  the 
seductive  freshness  of  the  Muhlenbergia,  they 
leave  it  to  flourish  in  peace  under  the  protection  of 
its  spiny  and  dagger-armed  guardian.  Even  young 
sheep  have  learned  not  to  try  to  reach  it,  lest  they 
become  hopelessly  grasped  by  the  prickly  cactus, 
whose  sheltering  arms  defend  not  only  the  grass 
but  ofttimes  a  happy  family  consisting  of  rattle- 
snakes, prairie  dogs,  and  the  prairie  owl. 

With  plants  that  run  away  to  the  protection 
of  stronger  plants  should  be  grouped  those 
which  hide  from  then*  depredators.  There  are 
many  of  these,  some  of  which  are  very  cunning  in 
their  methods  of  escaping  detection.  Weeds  fre- 
quently hide  in  among  plants  which  are  very  simi- 
lar to  themselves:  wild  seedling  lilies  are  often 
found  among  Solomon's-seal ;  June  grass  flourishes 
undisturbed  among  beds  of  phlox;  nightshade 
grows  among  tomato  plants;  wild  onions  slip  in 
among  their  cultivated  cousins ;  daisies  love  the  com- 


48    THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

pany  of  bachelor's-buttons;  and  dandelions  fre- 
quently grow  among  turnips  and  radishes.  These 
clever  habits  allow  many  a  plant  that  otherwise 
would  be  destroyed  as  a  useless  weed  to  have  a 
permanent  home  and  to  bear  fruit. 

Another  example  of  the  cleverness  of  plants  in 
protecting  themselves  is  the  growth  of  all  kinds  of 
nuts  on  the  trees.  During  the  time  of  development 
they  are  green,  the  colour  of  the  foliage,  and  there- 
fore hardly  discernible;  when,  however,  they  are 
ready  to  fall  to  the  earth  in  order  to  start  new 
trees,  they  change  to  dark  brown,  the  colour  of  the 
ground  on  which  they  are  soon  to  rest.  The  hazel- 
nut  is  especially  clever  in  its  disguise,  the  nut  being 
enclosed  in  a  leaf -like  green  bract,  which  by  its 
resemblance  to  the  other  leaves  very  effectually 
hides  the  nut  from  view.  The  walnut  has  a  hard 
spongy  covering  filled  with  an  acrid  juice  which  is 
exceedingly  distasteful  even  after  the  fruit  has 
dropped  to  the  ground. 

In  waging  war  among  themselves  not  always  the 
stronger  plant  is  victorious;  ofttimes,  apparently, 
the  weaker  uses  ingenious  methods  and  wins  in  the 
struggle  for  existence.  Especially  is  this  true  of 
weak  vines  with  delicate  stems ;  the  common  morn- 
ing-glory, for  example,  climbs  right  over  its  more 
gifted  neighbours,  reaching  its  ambitious  flowers 


PLANTS  DEFEND  THEMSELVES    49 

and  leaves  up  into  the  sunlight,  and  practically  en- 
slaving all  its  neighbours  by  using  them  as  props 
for  its  own  progressive  self.  Like  its  cousin,  the 
parasitic  dodder,  it  not  only  uses  but  often  kills 
other  plants  that  come  in  its  way.  However,  plant 
victories,  like  human  victories,  are  frequently  only 
temporary:  in  time  the  conquered  species  gradually 
regain  their  former  positions  and  become  the  con- 
querors. 

The  changing  of  a  river  bed,  continuous 
droughts,  even  a  severe  storm  that  brings  seed 
from  other  places,  is  all  that  is  necessary  to  change 
entirely  the  flora  of  a  small  region.  If  one  plant 
cannot  successfully  grow  in  a  region,  another  kind 
soon  drives  it  out  and  takes  possession. 

Climatic  conditions  are  not  the  least  of  the  great 
forces  against  which  plants  must  defend  them- 
selves. These  conditions  are  rain,  cold,  heat,  wind, 
and  lack  of  water.  The  instinct  of  self-preserva- 
tion is  very  clearly  shown  here.  An  evidence  of  the 
voluntary  protective  action  of  the  plant  against 
climatic  conditions  is  that  of  the  cacti  of  the  desert. 
In  an  environment  where  the  water  supply  is  very 
scarce  they  have  learned  that,  when  a  shower  does 
come,  special  provision  must  be  made  for  storing 
away,  against  the  long  months  of  drought  that 
must  follow,  as  much  water  as  they  are  capable  of 


50    THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

holding.  To  this  end  the  inner  walls  of  the  cacti 
are  filled  with  sponges  which  can  absorb  immense 
quantities  of  water.  The  roots  travel  great  dis- 
tances into  the  earth  to  take  up  the  moisture.  This 
is  one  of  the  reasons  for  the  coating  of  daggers 
and  hooks  which  cover  every  part  of  the  cacti. 
Without  these  weapons  they  would  be  destroyed 
by  the  hungry  and  thirsty  animal  life  of  the  desert. 

The  cocoanut  has  been  forcetl  by  many  hard 
knocks  to  learn  to  defend  itself  not  only  against  in- 
clement weather  but  also  against  salt  water.  The 
cocoanut  grows  in  the  tropics  and  usually  near  the 
shores,  where  it  has  been  planted  by  the  tides. 
Here  new  plants  spring  up ;  and  because  they  grow 
beside  the  sea  and  the  probability  is  that  the  fruit 
will  fall  into  the  water,  the  plant  has  provided  for 
this  emergency.  In  the  first  place  there  is  the  long, 
fibrous  covering  of  the  nut,  which  prevents  the 
salt  water  from  entering  and  spoiling  the  fruit; 
then  there  is  the  impenetrable  shell,  a  strong  pro- 
tection against  most  forms  of  animal  life.  Also, 
the  nut  is  of  such  shape  that  it  floats  very  readily, 
and  it  is  not  unusual  to  see  two  or  three  cocoa- 
nuts  drifting  to  a  distant  island  or  shore,  as  chil- 
dren run  to  new  playgrounds. 

There  are  some  plants  which  seek  protection 
from  adverse  weather  in  sheltered  spots.  Such  are 


GLOBE   THISTLE.    Echinops. 
Its  many  spears   are  always  ready  for  defence. 


PLANTS  DEFEND  THEMSELVES     51 

the  little  plants,  like  mosses  and  bluets,  which  grow 
behind  rocks  and  in  deep  glens,  where  they  are  pro- 
tected from  wind  and  too  much  sun. 

There  are  other  plants  which  close  their  blos- 
soms at  the  least  sign  of  rain,  opening  them  again 
in  sunshine.  The  pimpernel  does  this  with  such 
consistency  that  it  is  called  the  poor-man's  weath 
glass. 

Cold  weather  is  believed  by  many  people  to  kill 
practically  all  the  plants.  This,  of  course,  is  as  un- 
true as  it  would  be  to  say  that  the  bear,  hibernating 
in  his  den  until  the  warm  spring  sun  shall  call  him 
forth,  has  been  killed  by  the  cold  weather.  There 
are  many  aquatic  plants  which,  flourishing  beauti- 
fully during  the  warm  months,  as  autumn  ap- 
proaches gradually  dry  up  and  drop  to  the  bottom 
of  the  water  until  the  winter  is  over.  Then  they 
send  forth  tender  young  shoots  and  begin  a  new 
year  of  life.  Their  so-called  "death"  has  been 
merely  hibernation,  a  prudent  attention  to  the  in- 
tuitive warning  which  has  come  to  them  to  guard 
themselves  against  the  cold.  It  is  but  a  strong 
evidence  of  the  active  and  dominant  instinct  of  self- 
defence  in  plant  life. 


VI 


PLANTS  THAT  KEEP  A  STANDING  ARMY  AND  NAVY*, 

PLANTS  THAT  EMPLOY  AN  AERIAL  SQUADRON ; 

PLANTS  THAT  KEEP  SERVANTS  AND 

LIVE  STOCK 

EVERY  great  power  or  nation  has  found  it 
necessary  to  keep  a  standing  army ;  and,  usu- 
ally, the  greater  the  nation,  the  larger  the  army. 
It  has  been  learned  that  the  armed-nation  system 
is  an  incentive  to  peace;  while  war  means  waste 
and  general  disaster.  Hence  the  value  of  the  stand- 
ing army. 

This  moral  effect  of  keeping  a  standing  army  is 
as  apparent  to  plants  as  to  men.  There  are  some 
plants  which  wage  warfare ;  others,  being  rich,  pay 
"blackmail"  to  their  enemies,  rather  than  fight 
against  them ;  some  actually  hire  soldiers  and  main- 
tain an  armed  protective  system.  This  is  especially 
true  of  certain  plants  growing  in  the  tropics,  which 
are  besieged  by  so  many  kinds  of  enemies,  of  both 
the  flying  and  the  crawling  type,  that  without  their 
armies  they  would  be  totally  destroyed. 
52 


PLANTS  THAT  KEEP  AN  ARMY     53 

The  vetches  are  of  the  class  of  plants  which  make 
a  practice  of  bribing  creeping  and  crawling  insects 
to  leave  their  honey  untouched  because  they  know 
that  they  must  be  fertilised  by  flying  insects.  In 
addition  to  the  sweets  stored  in  their  blossoms,  the 
plants  have  tiny  glands,  filled  with  sugar,  located 
below  the  flower;  and  this  is  offered  as  a  bribe  to 
the  unwelcome,  crawling  guest.  But  this  is  not  all 
the  protection  the  plant  has:  there  are  numerous 
sharp-pointed  hairs  protecting  the  passage-way  to 
the  flowers.  As  a  result  of  these  precautions,  the 
ant  usually  eats  the  proffered  sweets  and  leaves  the 
nectar  in  the  blossoms  for  more  favoured  winged 
insects,  who  pay  for  their  honey  by  distributing  the 
pollen  of  the  plant. 

Many  plants  make  servants,  or  allies,  of  the  ants ; 
and  others  keep  such  a  vast  number  of  protectors 
that  they  may  be  termed  their  "standing  armies." 

A  good  example  of  plants  that  keep  servants  and 
live  stock  is  one  of  the  ferns,  Polypodium  nec- 
tariferum.  This  fern  receives  ants  as  most  wel- 
come guests  and  allies;  it  furnishes  them  with  a 
good  home  and  food  in  the  form  of  honey;  in  re- 
turn they  protect  the  fern  from  various  forms  of 
insects  and  leaf -cutting  ants,  thus  maintaining  mu- 
tually satisfactory  arrangements. 

Not  the  least  singular  instance  of  intelligence  dis- 


54    THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

played  by  plants  in  protecting  themselves  against 
their  enemies  is  that  of  an  acacia  of  South  Amer- 
ica. This  tree,  sometimes  known  as  "Bull's-horn 
thorn,"  is  surrounded  by  such  vast  hordes  of  ene- 
mies that  it  is  necessary  for  it  to  keep  a  standing 
army  to  guard  against  the  depredations  of  its  foes. 
To  this  end  it  has  developed  a  most  ingenious  plan. 
Its  branches  are  covered  with  curious  hollow  thorns, 
and  at  the  base  of  each  leaflet  is  a  small  gland 
which  secretes  honey.  Colonies  of  ants  occupy  the 
cavities  in  the  thorns,  and  feed  from  the  honey. 
The  ants  are  naturally  interested  in  their  home,  and,  -/,  -\ 
when  it  is  attacked  by  enemies — such  as  moths,  or 
leaf -cutting  ants — the  occupants  of  the  tree  pour 
down  upon  them  like  an  army  of  warriors.  As  a 
result,  the  wise  acacia  is  well  protected  in  return  for 
the  board  and  lodging  supplied  to  its  standing 
army. 

But  plants  which  keep  a  standing  army  must 
tolerate  the  servants,  guests,  farmers,  nurses,  dogs,  i 
milk  cows,  horses,  pets,  scavengers  and  parasites — 
in  fact,  the  whole  retinue  of  camp-followers  which 
is  incident  to  every  armed  force.    Possibly  the  most 
human  traits  among  the  habits  of  these  intelligent 
ants  are  their  well-known  farming,  animal-raising,\. 
and  slave-holding  habits.    The  very  fact  that  ant§> 
keep  these  hundreds  of  servants  and  allies  assuresv 


PLANTS  THAT  KEEP  AN  ARMY  55 

extra  protection  to  the  acacia.  Of  course,  their 
milk  cows,  which  are  species  of  beetles,  also  a  kind 
of  caterpillar,  and  cochineal,  must  be  stationed 
out  in  herds  on  various  parts  of  the  tree ;  and  each 
herd  is  separated  and  carefully  guarded  by  a  herds- 
man;  and  he,  in  turn,  is  accompanied  by  several 
small  animals,  obviously  as  watch-dogs.  As  a 
colony  of  ants  and  their  helpers  are  capable  of 
destroying  hundreds  of  caterpillars  and  grasshop- 
pers a  day,  and  as  they  work  day  and  night,  the 
tree  is  well  protected. 

In  still  another  way  do  the  servants  of  the  plant 
prove  a  benefit  to  it:  in  addition  to  destroying  or 
driving  away  the  larger  marauders  they  eat  the 
minute  parasites. 

There  are  plants  which  do  not  produce  honey 
with  which  to  pay  their  armies ;  in  such  a  case  it  is 
usually  found  that  the  plant  is  already  inhabited 
by  a  number  of  insects,  which  can  supply  milk  and 
meat  to  the  warrior  inhabitants;  and  so  slave-hold- 
ing ants  take  possession  of  the  tree  as  a  desirable 
dwelling-place  on  which  to  raise  their  army  of 
allies.  One  form  of  beetle,  raised  in  the  under- 
ground nests  of  these  ants,  secretes  and  produces 
a  sweet  fluid,  that  might  be  an  intoxicant. 

Another  plant  of  the  tropical  regions  which 
keeps  not  only  its  own  standing  army,  but  also  its 


56    THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

defensive  navy,  is  the  now  famous  gigantic  water- 
lily,  Victoria  Regia. 

Few  there  are  who  have  not  heard  or  read  glow- 
ing accounts  of  its  colossal  size  and  its  wondrous 
beauty;  fewer  there  are  who,  having  once  seen  it 
reposing  on  the  surface  of  theswater  ill  its  majestic 
richness  of  colours  and  aki^St  titanic  proportions 
among  the  plant  species,,  can  evgr  forget  the  won- 


dering admiration  they  felt  pr^prsft  viewing  it! 

The  gigantic  leaves  of  the^feegia  grow  to  pro- 
portions of  five  or  six  feet  m^liameter,  and  lie  on 
the  water  like  great  circular  rafts,  with  turned-up 
edges.  These  leaves  themselves  are  of  such  choice 
colouring  as  to  deserve  the  appellation  of  flowers. 
They  are  of  soft  shades  of  light  green  above* and 
seem  like  pools  of  clear  green  water  in  the  midst 
of  the  browner  surrounding  waters.  Underneath 
they  are  in  varying  rich  tints  of  red,  a  red  that 
contrasts  beautifully  with  the  light  green  upper 
surface,  and  which  forms  a  marked  outer-wall  for 
the  rim. 

But  the  beauty  of  the  broad  leaves  seems  but  to 
lead  up  to  the  delicate,  radiant  glory  of  the  great 
pink  and  white  blossoms.  Pink  and  white  is  the 
impression  one  gets  of  them,  but  on  closer  observa- 
tion they  are  seen  to  vary  from  a  deep  rose  red  in 
the  fragrant  centre,  through  gradual  reds  and 


PLANTS  THAT  KEEP  AN  ARMY     57 

pinks,  to  the  snowy  whiteness  of  the  outside.  These 
blossoms,  many  of  them  a  foot  or  more  in  diam- 
eter, raise  their  graceful  heads  above  the  waters 
with  truly  regal  majesty,  verily  queens  of  the  sea. 

Assuredly  the  Regia  is  well  named  for  the  great 
ruler  of  that  nation  which  has  been  called  the 
"Queen  of  the  Seas,"  for,  with  its  gigantic  leaves 
and  its  gorgeously  blazing  blossoms,  what  can  it  be 
said  to  resemble  more  than  a  great  floating  navy? 
And  truly  the  Regia  is  a  navy,  for  each  of  its 
ponderous  broad  leaves  forms  a  great  "dread- 
naught,"  manned  with  an  active  fighting  crew,  in 
the  shape  of  the  numerous  water-birds,  which  find 
in  the  wide  deep-rimmed  pads  of  the  lily  a  safe 
and  dry  footing. 

It  is  these  birds  which  form  the  standing  army 
of  the  queen  lily;  better,  perhaps,  call  them  the 
aerial,  standing,  and  swimming  armies,  for  among 
their  numbers  are  birds  of  all  three  kinds.  It  has 
been  said  that  no  less  than  a  dozen  tropical  birds 
are  accustomed  to  make  use  of  the  lily  pads  as 
their  boats. 

The  birds  catch  fish  from  their  vantage-point  on 
the  leaves ;  and  they  feed  on  the  hundreds  of  aquatic 
insects  and  snails  which  swarm  about  the  under  sur- 
face of  the  pads.  As  many  of  these  insects  would 
be  harmful  to  the  plant,  were  they  allowed  free 


58    THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

rein,  the  Regia  is  more  than  repaid  for  the  sup- 
port she  gives  to  her  standing  army. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  features  of  pond 
life  are  smaller  water-lilies.  Their  broad  leaves 
are  the  floating  homes  of  myriads  of  tiny  animal 
life  of  both  the  water  and  the  air.  Young  frogs 
hold  concerts  on  them;  and  tiny  fishes  seek  shelter 
in  their  shadows. 

Of  course,  the  fact  that  plants  maintain  for  their 
support  or  protection  other  forms  of  life  than  their 
own  is  shown  in  every  form  of  plant  life  that 
exists. 

The  bees  which  carry  pollen  may  be  called  the 
servants  of  the  flowers;  the  birds  which  swing 
among  the  branches  of  the  fruit-trees  are  constantly 
fighting  in  behalf  of  the  tree,  thus  protecting  its 
young  and  undeveloped  seeds  from  ravaging  in- 
sects; the  very  snakes  and  toads,  hiding  among 
the  grasses,  protect  those  grasses  from  harmful 
grubs;  and  in  each  instance  the  insect  or  animal  is 
serving  or  protecting  the  plant,  is  filling  the  posi- 
tion of  servant  or  soldier  to  that  plant. 

However,  no  service  in  plant  life,  as  in  the  world 
of  human  beings,  is  without  its  remuneration.  The 
animal  gives  to  the  plant,  but  the  plant  also  gives 
to  the  animal.  If  the  bee  carries  pollen  for  the 
flower,  the  blossom  yields  of  its  sweet  honey  to  his 


PLANTS  THAT  KEEP  AN  ARMY     59 

need.  If  the  bird  drives  off  the  ravaging  insect, 
he  later  enjoys  the  luscious  fruit  and  finds  a  foun- 
dation for  his  nest  on  the  branches  of  the  tree ;  if  he 
protects  the  young,  unripe  seeds  of  the  tree,  it  in 
turn  shelters  his  young  from  harm  with  its  grateful 
leaves.  If  the  snake  drives  off  the  grub  from  the 
grasses,  he  finds  seclusion  among  the  roots — and 
how  frequently  has  the  club  or  stone  of  his  pursuer 
been  turned  aside  or  caught  in  the  tangled  grasses 
sufficiently  to  give  him  his  chance  to  escape! 

Truly  there  is  a  camaraderie,  a  spirit  of  give 
and  take,  in  this  condition  of  apparent  servitude  of 
one  creature  or  plant  to  another,  which  preaches 
its  own  deep  lesson.  It  has  debarred  the  "labour 
problem"  from  the  realms  of  Plantdom  and  Crea- 
turedom.  It  is  a  moral  concession  to  the  Law  of 
Compensation;  that  is  the  secret  of  the  plant's 
standing  army! 


VII 

PLANTS  THAT  ROB,   PLUNDER,  AND   MURDER 

"In  the  meek  garb  of  modest  worth  disguised, 
The  eye  averted  and  the  smile  chastised, 
With  sly  approach  they  spread  their  dangerous  charms, 
And  round  their  victims  wind  their  wiry  arms." 

AMONG  the  interesting  things  in  nature,  per-7 
haps  none  are  more  striking  than  the  many^ 
plants  which,  like  human  beings  and  animals,  rob,x 
plunder,  and  murder.  These  things  they  do  for 
many  causes,  but  their  main  object  is  personal  gain: 
they  either  do  not  wish  to  work,  or  they  have  become 
so  degradingly  poor  that  they  have  been  forced  to 
become  robbers  and  so  live  by  the  effort  of  some 
honest,  working  plant.  These  paupers  must  have 
food  and  nourishment,  and  they  secure  it  by  rob- 
bery. Some  actually  commit  murder,  sucking  the 
last  drop  of  vitality  out  of  the  host  plant;  others 
are  only  petty  thieves,  and  do  not  actually  kill  their 
host,  but  seem  merely  to  seek  sufficient  food  to  keep 
themselves  alive  and  healthy;  still  others  appear 
60 


PLANTS  THAT  ROB  AND  MURDER    61 

to  form  a  kind  of  partnership  with  the  host,  where- 
by each  is  equally  benefited.  All  such  plants  are 
degenerates  and  may  justly  be  termed  vampires. 

Robber  plants  have  two  ways  of  living:  one 
kind,  such  as  the  dodder,  thrives  upon  living  plants ; 
the  other,  such  as  puff-balls,  mushrooms,  and  toad- 
stools, feeds  upon  a  food  material  already  prepared 
by  other  plants  or  by  animals.  The  other  form 
of  parasite,  like  the  mistletoe,  which  is  partially 
honest,  pays  for  some  of  its  food;  it  may  there- 
fore be  politely  classed  as  the  "borrowing  friend" 
rather  than  the  "highway  robber." 

A  striking  example  of  a  murderous  parasite, 
or  robber  plant,  is  the  dodder — or  Devil's-thread, 
as  it  is  termed  in  many  parts  of  Europe.  Bot- 
anists refer  to  it  as  the  Cuscuta.  It  has  many 
relatives,  among  which  even  the  respectable  and 
honest-working  cypress  and  morning-glory  vines 
are  numbered.  Such  a  plant  as  the  dodder  has  no 
green  colouring-matter,  chlorophyll,  in  its  body, 
and  it  is  therefore  unable  to  secure  food  for  itself, 
because  it  is  by  means  of  chlorophyll  that  plants 
are  enabled  to  make  food  from  the  inorganic  com- 
pounds furnished  to  them  by  nature. 

The  dodder  has  no  leaves,  nor  does  it  need  any, 
as  it  gets  all  its  food  from  the  plant  on  which  it 
grows;  it  has  a  few  small  scales  that  are  possibly 


62    THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

the  last  remnants  of  lost  leaves.  At  the  begin- 
ning of  this  interesting  plant's  life,  the  seed  ger- 
minates in  the  earth,  as  if  it  intended  to  grow 
and  work  as  other  plants  do;  soon,  however,  the 
delicate  little  vine  begins  reaching  up  for  aid,  until 
it  has  grown  tall  enough  to  reach  a  clover,  or  a 
flax  plant,  to  which  it  immediately  attaches  itself 
by  means  of  little  filaments  or  suckers.  As  soon  as 
it  has  a  firm  grasp  on  some  healthy  plant,  it  begins 
to  wither  near  the  ground,  and  soon  all  connection 
with  the  earth  is  broken.  Thus  the  dodder  crawls 
and  twists  itself  over  the  heads  of  numerous  plants 
like  a  writhing  snake,  binding  them  fast  with  its 
vampire  suckers  and  taking  its  food  directly  from 
them — flourishing  at  their  expense,  a  thief  and  a 
robber  indeed! 

The  other  habits  of  this  strange  robber  are  strik- 
ingly like  those  of  its  honest  cousins,  the  cypress 
vine  and  the  morning-glory.  It  often  grows  many 
feet  in  length,  twining  itself  about  the  tops  and 
leaves  of  plants,  and  sewing  them  together  like 
bunches  of  cord-bound  stems.  Its  flowers  are  of 
a  pale,  whitish  hue,  and  are  almost  bell-shaped, 
growing  in  small,  ivory-like  clusters.  In  the  South 
it  is  not  uncommon  to  see  large  fields  of  weeds 
literally  yellow  with  the  death-twining  cords  of  the 
dodder;  each  closely  sewed  to  its  neighbour  by  this 


PLANTS  THAT  ROB  AND  MURDER    63 

Devil's-thread,  whose  luxurious  and  prolific  life  is 
practically  unmolested,  when  once  it  gets  a  start. 

In  great  tropical  forests  there  is  a  spirit  of  ter- 
rible selfishness  and  combat.  Every  individual  tree 
and  plant  seems  to  be  struggling  to  surpass  those 
about  it,  heeding  no  law  of  social  responsibility,  but 
twining  itself  about  the  nearest  supporting  neigh- 
bour, reaching,  stretching,  clawing,  caring  not 
what  destruction  it  causes,  aiming  always  upward 
to  the  light  and  air  above.  The  parasites  cling 
everywhere  to  others,  which  cannot  throw  them  off. 
Clearly  here  in  the  wilds,  as  in  tribes  of  uncivilised 
humans,  there  is  but  one  law  of  life,  that  of  the 
survival  of  the  fittest! 

The  Murderer  Liana  is  a  parasite  of  the  most 
unscrupulous  kind,  whose  weak  stem  is  unable  to 
support  its  avaricious  and  ponderous  head,  and  who 
therefore  clings  to  its  upright  neighbours  for  sup- 
port. It  springs  up  beside  a  stalwart  tree,  and  as 
its  stem  grows,  it  spreads  out  like  a  soft  poultice 
upon  the  trunk  of  the  tree.  Then  it  climbs  by 
sending  out  clinging  arms,  wrapping  them  around 
the  body  of  its  victim,  and  joining  them  on  the 
other  side.  Up  and  up  climbs  the  strangler,  al- 
ways sending  out  new  arms  around  the  stricken 
tree,  and  the  arms  always  growing  thicker  and 
heavier  to  support  the  increasing  weight;  until  at 


64    THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

last  the  Murderer  Liana  reaches  the  sunlight  above, 
its  leaves  flapping  insolently  into  the  face  of  the 
tree  which  has  helped  it  to  ascend,  and  which  is 
slowly  dying  in  the  choking  embrace  of  the  many 
tightening  vampire  arms.  Eventually  the  sap  of 
the  upright  tree  is  stopped  from  flowing,  and  it 
dies,  its  dead  leaves  falling  withered  to  the  ground, 
while  the  unscrupulous  Murderer  Liana  waves  its 
leaves  in  the  breeze  as  if  exulting  over  the  dead  and 
decaying  corpse  which  it  still  holds  in  its  grasp. 

One  of  the  best-known  parasites,  or,  one  might 
say,  petty  thieves,  as  it  actually  does  give  some- 
thing in  return  for  the  abundance  it  receives,  is 
the  common  mistletoe.  It  is  an  evergreen  plant 
with  lemon-greenish  leaves,  which,  unlike  those  of 
many  parasitic  plants,  do  perform  the  function  of 
leaves;  and  it  is  commonly  found  on  oak,  poplar, 
elm,  apple,  pecan,  and  many  other  trees.  It  ger- 
minates from  tiny  seeds,  which  are  covered  with  a 
sticky  fluid,  and  which  have  been  carried  by  birds 
and  planted  on  the  host-tree. 

Perhaps  no  other  form  of  plant  life  is  so  de- 
pendent on  the  birds  as  mistletoe. 

When  the  seeds,  left  by  the  bird  planter,  have 
germinated  they  begin  to  send  down  a  tiny 
rootlet  into  the  bark  of  the  tree.  As  the  branch 
of  the  tree-host  continues  to  grow,  the  mistletoe 


PLANTS  THAT  ROB  AND  MURDER   65 

rootlet  gradually  establishes  a  union  so  close  be- 
tween the  host  and  the  guest  that  the  food  of  the 
host  is  easily  stolen  by  the  robber.  Yet,  the  mistle- 
toe is  not  a  real  robber;  for,  while  it  absorbs  the  food 
of  the  host-tree  during  a  large  part  of  the  year, 
during  the  winter  months,  when  the  tree  has  shed 
its  leaves  and  is  therefore  unable  to  feed  itself,  the 
grateful  guest  actually  contributes  to  the  host  food 
it  has  produced  from  the  air  and  sunshine,  and  in 
this  way  partially  repays  it  for  past  favours. 

Mistletoe  has  been  a  favourite  for  decoration 
since  the  earliest  times.  Many  strange  supersti- 
tions have  been  connected  with  it,  and  especially 
with  its  healing  powers.  Its  nature  is  now  so 
thoroughly  understood  that  it  may  be  cultivated 
easily  by  planting  the  sticky  seeds  on  the  branches 
of  a  tree.  Not  only  is  it  attractive  for  decorations 
indoors,  but  it  is  highly  pleasing  when  seen  among 
the  branches  of  barren  trees  in  winter.  And  in 
addition  to  its  attractive  appearance,  it  supplies 
food,  by  means  of  its  small  berries,  for  many  kinds 
of  song  birds  in  the  winter.  Coming  at  a  time 
when  most  fruits  and  berries  are  gone,  it  is  doubly 
welcome. 

There  are  certain  species  of  mistletoe  which  are 
wholly  parasitic.  There  is  a  leafless  mistletoe 
which  is  found  on  a  leafless  cactus.  It  grows 


66    THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

abundantly;  and  a  striking  thing  in  its  appearance 
is  the  reddish-pink  colour  of  its  stems. 

Other  "petty  thieves"  are  the  Castilleja,  or 
painted-cup,  Gerardias,  and  numerous  other  small 
plants. 

It  is  generally  known  that  plants  which  are  whol- 
ly parasitic  in  habit  have,  with  a  few  exceptions, 
lost  their  green  colouring-matter;  and  many  have 
lost  their  leaves.  On  the  other  hand,  those  which 
are  only  half  parasitic  in  habit  still  have  the  colour- 
ing-matter in  their  leaves,  but,  like  the  mistletoe, 
the  leaves  have  a  pale  greenish  tinge,  suggestive  of 
degeneration  into  yellow. 

Plants  are  likely  to  become  robbers  and  murder- 
ers only  when  driven  to  it  by  unavoidable  condi- 
tions, such  as  are  found  in  the  great  forests  and 
in  the  tropical  jungles,  where  the  trees  and  plants 
are  so  closely  tangled  that  their  heads  intermingle, 
forming  an  almost  impenetrable  canopy  above  and 
refusing  sunlight  to  the  ground  plants  and  less 
altitudinous  trees.  These  minor  plants  are  forced, 
in  order  to  live,  to  fight  their  way,  by  fair  means 
or  foul,  up  to  the  sunlight:  unless  they  do  so,  they 
must  weaken  and  die  in  the  gloomy  undergrowth 
below.  It  is  the  eternal  struggle,  the  fight  to 
exist,  with  the  lower  plants  either  dying  out  or  de- 
generating under  the  oppression  of  the  higher 


PLANTS  THAT  ROB  AND  MURDER  6? 

plants,  unless  they  resort  to  violence  and  unscrupu- 
lous force  to  gain  their  means  of  living. 

The  common  vine-bamboo  is  a  parasitic  trop- 
ical plant;  but  it  is  not  so  bloodily  inclined  as  are 
many  of  its  fellows.  It  seems  content  to  sprawl 
about  on  whatever  tree  or  branch  its  trailers  hap- 
pen to  meet,  thankfully  accepting  this  bit  of  sup- 
port, as  the  begging  human  vagrant  accepts  the 
bit  of  bread  or  money  which  some  generous  fellow- 
man  has  tossed  him. 

This  is  one  of  the  kindlier,  more  harmless  para- 
sites, which  has  not  the  inclination  or  the  energy 
deliberately  to  injure  a  friendly  neighbour;  but 
there  are  many,  many  plants  in  the  tropics  which 
hesitate  at  no  bounds  in  their  selfish  avarice.  They 
writhe  and  cling  about  their  victims,  climbing  over 
them,  bearing  them  down,  choking  them,  fre- 
quently crippling  or  killing  them. 

Yet,  strangely  enough,  there  are  few  of  these 
more  unscrupulous  parasites  which  are  unbeautif ul 
to  see;  most  of  them  are  among  the  most  lovely  of 
the  plant  species.  Their  flowers,  swaying  far  up 
among  the  honest,  dull  leaves  of  some  righteous, 
sturdy  tree,  seem  to  be  luring  their  less  attractive 
neighbours  out  of  the  straight  and  narrow  path  of 
virtuous  industry  into  the  blossoming  glory  of  par- 
asitic idleness.  With  their  gracefully  twining 


68    THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

bodies  and  their  beautiful  flowers,  they  are  like 
human  vampires  clinging  to  their  victims,  gloating 
over  their  conquest,  and  shamelessly  flaunting  their 
ill-won  charms  into  the  faces  of  their  fellow-plants. 

Such  a  beautiful,  shapely  thing  is  the  razor-grass. 
Having  climbed  a  dozen  feet  or  so  up  the  sturdy 
trunk  of  an  upright  tree,  it  allows  its  long,  curving 
blades  to  droop  over,  hanging  there  in  languorous 
indolence.  Truly  it  is  a  beautiful  thing  in  both 
shape  and  colour.  But  let  your  hand  touch  the 
edge  of  one  of  its  gracefully  drooping  blades !  The 
sharp,  saw  teeth  with  which  it  is  thickly  armed  will 
cut  deep  into  your  flesh.  Clothing,  skin,  and  bone 
need  fear  this  beautiful,  heartless  thing  of  the 
forest. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  phases  of  these 
robber  plants  is  found  among  certain  kinds  which 
take  on  the  thieving  habit  when  they  choose  to,  and 
drop  it  at  will.  The  cuckoo-pint,  often  found  grow- 
ing high  up  on  the  sides  of  ditches,  has  a  cousin 
which  thrives  in  Brazil.  It  is  sometimes  seen  sitting 
far  up  in  the  air,  delicately  held  like  a  tremendous 
spider  with  long  straight  legs  reaching  to  the  earth. 
Occasionally  it  takes  root,  and  feeds  itself  as  other 
plants  do  from  the  soil.  Like  some  people,  how- 
ever, it  works  only  when  forced  to  do  so  by  the 
lack  of  food. 


INDIAN    PIPE   (Monotropa  uniflora)   and  BEECH-DROPS 

(Monotropa  Hypopitys). 
These  are  ghostly  looking  robber  plants  which  the  Indians  held  in  great 


PLANTS  THAT  ROB  AND  MURDER   69 

There  is  a  large  group  of  robber  plants  that 
belong  to  the  lowly  and  humble  class ;  they  grow  on 
the  earth  and  attach  their  roots  to  the  roots  of  other 
plants,  who  "can  afford  to  be  generous  .  .  .  and 
allow  a  whole  world  of  lesser  plants  to  fatten  round 
their  feet."  These  humble  plants  have  long  ago 
lost  all  ambition  and  are  satisfied  if  they  can  get 
from  their  host  only  enough  food  on  which  to  live. 
The  broom-rapes  exist  in  this  fashion.  One  species 
grows  freely  on  tobacco  in  Kentucky;  another  type 
grows  on  hemp. 

Still  another  interesting  robber  is  the  corpse 
plant,  or  Indian-pipe.  It  is  a  fungus-like  plant, 
with  a  bunch  of  fibrous  roots  growing  in  decayed 
vegetable  matter  or  old  roots  of  trees.  The  bunches 
of  ghostly,  white  stems  have  each  a  large  white 
flower,  which  turns  black  immediately  upon  being 
plucked.  These  weird  flowers  are  odourless.  They 
were  held  in  great  esteem  by  the  Indians,  who  re- 
garded each  as  the  symbolic  expression  of  a  de- 
parted friend. 

Then  there  are  the  ravaging  and  ever-increasing 
parasitical  fungi,  such  as  mildews,  smuts,  rusts, 
rose-blight,  pea-blight,  and  potato-blight,  which 
thrive  largely  upon  living  plants;  very  rarely,  if 
ever,  on  the  dead.  Farmers  and  florists  are  ever 
at  war  with  them;  and  it  is  not  surprising,  for  they. 


70    THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

attack  living  plants  in  multitudinous  numbers,  like 
wolves  among  sheep,  or  flocks  of  crows  in  a  corn- 
field, leaving  nothing  but  death  and  devastation  be- 
hind. 

Of  all  the  robber  plants,  perhaps  the  most  inter- 
esting, certainly  the  most  beautiful,  is  the  tree- 
loving  orchid,  which  belongs  to  a  big  family  of 
plants  known  as  epiphytes.  In  the  truest  sense  of 
the  word,  they  are  not  really  robbers,  because  they 
seldom  obtain  their  food  from  the  tree  on  which 
they  are  found,  but  merely  a  "foothold" ;  their  food 
comes  from  the  air,  through  their  own  leaves.  This 
great  family  of  epiphytes  is  also  represented  by 
mosses  and  lichens  and  certain  species  of  ferns ;  but 
its  most  striking  member  is  the  much-prized  orchid. 
Of  all  nature's  subjects  there  is  none  so  gorgeously 
apparelled. 

In  the  great  tropical  forests  of  South  America 
the  orchids  cling  in  the  tree-tops  like  small  clouds 
of  floating  silks  that  at  giddy  heights  have  caught 
on  to  limbs  of  the  tall  trees.  Their  shapes  and 
colours  are  weirdly  fantastical :  they  imitate  beetles, 
butterflies,  moths,  lizards,  toads,  scorpions,  and 
sometimes  even  human  faces  I  In  colour  nothing 
could  be  more  extraordinary,  nothing  more  fairy- 
like.  Some  dress  in  dark  golds  and  browns ;  others 
imitate  the  spotted  reds  and  blacks  of  huge  poison- 


PLANTS  THAT  ROB  AND  MURDER   71 

cms  spiders;  still  others  are  striped  like  strange 
lizards. 

From  India  we  get  ivory-like  species  of  velvety 
white  and  gold;  from  the  American  tropics  come 
brilliant  specimens  whose  colours  blend  so  gradu- 
ally and  harmoniously  as  to  form  the  most  charm- 
ing of  floral  rainbows.  In  the  Philippine  Islands 
are  found  eerie  moth-orchids,  with  spikes  of  flow- 
ers which  remind  one  of  tinted  snow-crystals  swing- 
ing on  a  spider's  web. 

All  of  these  wonderful  robber  plants  seem  to 
have  nothing  to  do  but  to  be  beautiful.  Lounging 
in  the  tree-tops,  they  laugh  in  all  their  glory,  bid- 
ding mankind  to  "consider  the  lilies  of  the  field,  how 
they  grow ;  they  toil  not,  neither  do  they  spin" ;  and 
yet  these  parasitic  orchids  array  themselves  so  gor- 
geously as  to  challenge  all  imitation! 


VIII 

PLANTS  THAT  ARE  ATHLETES 

Plants  that  roll  and  tumble;  Plants  that  dress  to  travel; 
Plants  that  hop;  Plant  high- jumpers;  Plants  that  tie 
sailor's  knots;  Plants  that  shoot;  Plant  aviators;  Plants 
that  canoe;  Plants  that  swim;  Plants  that  dive;  Plants 
that  drive  hydroplanes;  Plants  that  skate;  Plants  that 
travel  in  ice-boats;  Plants  that  dance;  Plants  that  climb. 

PLANTS  have  as  many  kinds  and  forms  of 
athletics  and  become  quite  as  skilled  in  them 
as  do  human  athletes.  They  are  by  no  means 
freshmen  or  amateurs  trying  to  "make  the  team'/ 
but  they  have  spent  many  generations  in  preparing 
for  the  feats  which  they  so  skilfully  perform  in 
their  own  peculiar  way.  Like  a  sprinter,  or  a  tum- 
bler, a  swimmer,  diver,  dancer,  skater,  ball-player, 
or  archer — each  has  to  work  continually  to  keep 
in  good  condition.  Think  of  a  prize-fighter  or  a 
wrestler  who  would  not  practice!  Defeat  would 
surely  be  his  end.  And  the  same  is  true  of  plant 
athletes. 

But  with  the  plant,  athletics  win  not  popular  ap- 
plause nor  money,  but  life  or  death.    If  they  lose 
72 


PLANTS  THAT  ARE  ATHLETES    73 

the  game,  they  lose  life.  And  each  act  of  theirs  is 
to  benefit  not  only  themselves  but  also  their  chil- 
dren. In  this  they  are  like  human  parents,  who, 
in  order  to  benefit  their  children,  frequently  make 
great  sacrifices,  and  often  even  risk  their  own  lives ; 
in  the  same  way  plants  take  many  risks  to  better 
the  condition  of  their  offspring. 

There  are  a  large  number  of  plants  which  pos- 
sess the  power  of  spontaneous  motion,  very  similar 
to  that  displayed  by  the  lower  forms  of  animals. 
A  striking  example  of  this  is  found  in  one  of 
the  Alga?,  which  has  an  undulating  motion  pre- 
cisely like  that  of  certain  lower  animals.  In  some 
forms  of  fresh-water  Algae,  reproduction  takes 
place  by  the  formation  of  "zoospores"  which,  though 
exceedingly  small,  are  covered  partly  or  entirely 
with  tiny  cilia  or  hairs.  After  these  small  zoo- 
spores  free  themselves  from  the  parent  plant,  the 
cilia  begin  to  move  very  rapidly.  In  addition  to 
this  vibrating  of  the  cilia,  the  body  of  the  zoospore 
itself  has  a  rotating  movement  on  its  axis,  caused  by 
spontaneous  contractions;  and  as  a  result  of  these 
civilised  actions  the  entire  plant  passes  through  the 
water  with  a  motion  very  similar  to  that  of  a  fish 
swimming.  This  continues  for  a  period  of  from 
one  to  three  hours,  as  if,  in  a  boy-like  water- frolic, 
the  youthful  plant  were  making  the  most  of  its 


74    THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

childhood,  before  settling  down  to  the  sterner  du- 
ties of  its  adult  life.  When  the  plants  grow  tired 
of  swimming  they  dive  to  the  bottom  to  rest  on 
some  log  or  rock,  where,  if  favourable,  they  attach 
themselves  for  life. 

Some  form  of  motion  is  apparent  in  all  kinds  of 
plants,  as,  for  instance,  in  their  growth  and  creep- 
ers; but  among  the  most  energetic  movements  is 
that  displayed  by  the  strange  telegraph-plant  (Des- 
modium  gyrans)  of  India.  The  leaves  of  this  plant 
are  divided  into  three  parts,  each  of  which  moves 
continuously:  the  two  external  leaflets,  which  are 
small,  travelling  up  and  down  in  distinct  jerks; 
the  big  leaflet  moving  only  slightly.  During  the 
entire  life  of  the  plant  this  motion  continues. 

A  most  wonderful  example  of  a  plant  that  rolls 
and  tumbles  is  the  Rose  of  Jericho.  This  plant 
is  not  really  a  rose  at  all,  but  is  one  of  the  Cru- 
ciferce;  it  grows  on  the  dry  deserts  of  Arabia,  and 
near  Jerusalem.  It  is  sometimes  known  as  the 
"Resurrection-plant,"  and  is  regarded  with  much 
awe  and  reverence  by  the  natives  who  sell  it  to 
travellers.  When  all  the  moisture  goes  out  of  the 
soil,  the  plant  becomes  hard  and  dry,  its  delicate 
branches  roll  up  into  a  ball-shape,  its  seed-pods 
tightly  close,  and  it  draws  up  its  small  roots  from 
the  hot  sands  at  the  least  provocation;  then, 


PLANTS  THAT  ARE  ATHLETES  75 

"packed-up"  and  clad  in  its  brown  travelling  suit,  it 
is  ready  to  start  on  a  wild,  care-free  frolic,  for  all 
the  world  like  a  healthy  boy,  giving  expression  to 
his  exuberant  spirits.  Soon  the  wind  comes,  and 
away  the  Rose  of  Jericho  rolls  and  tumbles;  here 
and  there  it  looks  for  a  damp  spot  on  which  it  may 
rest  and  begin  life  over.  At  last  it  finds  a  pool 
of  water,  and  here  it  stops,  drinks  its  fill  of  water, 
unfurls  its  branches,  sends  down  its  roots,  unpacks 
and  shakes  its  seeds  out  on  the  damp  sands,  where 
they  may  have  plenty  of  water  and  will  be  given  a 
fair  chance  in  life.  Then  the  parent  plant  opens 
fresh  leaves  and  buds,  and,  donning  a  soft  suit  of 
tender  green  in  place  of  its  old  brown  travelling 
clothes,  it  settles  down,  wearied  from  its  long  and 
strenuous  exercise,  to  rest  by  the  lovely,  cool  water. 
And  unfurling  in  this  refreshing  spot,  it  is  trans- 
formed from  the  dry  brown  ball  into  a  tender  green 
plant.  This  power  of  resurrecting  itself  has  given 
it  the  appropriate  name  of  Resurrection-plant.  It 
has  been  mentioned  several  times  in  the  Bible,  and 
not  infrequently  in  Eastern  history. 

Another  plant  which  has  this  habit  of  rolling  is 
the  Selagenella  convolvulata.  This  interesting 
tumbler  grows  in  South  America.  When  it  wishes 
to  travel  to  a  new  home,  it  rolls  up  in  the  form  of  a 
ball  and  patiently  awaits  the  first  piping  wind,  to 


76    THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

which  it  dances  and  tumbles  like  a  frolicking  lamb. 
When  it  grows  weary  of  this  fast  life  it  decides 
to  settle  down  in  some  pleasant  place  near  a  pool 
of  water,  where  it  again  takes  up  the  ordinary  rou- 
tine of  living. 

Among  human  athletes  we  occasionally  find 
skilled  hoppers;  plants,  too,  indulge  in  this  form 
of  athletics.  The  "Leap-in-the-field"— or  "Wind- 
witch,"  as  it  is  sometimes  called — if  medals  and 
badges  were  bestowed  upon  plant  athletes,  would 
hold  in  all  probability  a  tremendous  collection  in 
recognition  of  its  place  as  "world's  champion"  in 
the  high- jump  and  in  the  hop-skip-and-jump.  This 
curious  leaper  sends  up  numerous  dry,  slender 
shoots,  like  so  many  tiny  arms,  which  reach  around 
it,  clasping  hands,  as  playful  babies  would  do,  until 
the  mother  plant  is  encircled  by  hundreds  of  such 
cord-like  binders.  Sometimes  these  arms  reach 
up  three  or  four  feet,  and  over  and  over  they  con- 
tinue to  bind  until  autumn  comes  on.  Then  the 
plant's  vacation  time  has  come.  It  withdraws  its 
roots  from  the  earth,  shrinks  together  its  folded 
arms  until  it  is  almost  the  shape  of  a  ball,  loses 
all  its  moisture  and  becomes  dry  as  dust  and  light 
as  a  feather.  Then  comes  the  wind,  and  with  the 
first  puff,  away  it  hops  and  tumbles,  seeking  here 
and  there  to  join  hands  with  its  neighbours,  who 


PLANTS  THAT  ARE  ATHLETES  77 

also  wish  to  travel,  until  often  dozens  of  these  ad- 
venturous wind-witches  rise  together  hundreds  of 
feet  in  the  air.  Sometimes  they  whirl  like  dancing 
mice,  and  the  whole  massive,  yet  airy,  ball  seems  to 
be  a  spirited,  living  thing.  Not  uncommonly  it 
circles  from  the  earth  in  the  form  of  a  crown  or 
wreath,  which  the  wind  places  on  the  head  of  some 
lofty  mountain.  No  wonder  the  plant  is  named 
wind-witch.  This  marvellous  method  of  sowing  its 
seeds  assures  an  ever  bountiful  supply  of  these 
witches;  and  they  play  havoc  with  the  farmer's 
crops ! 

The  American  tumble-weed  (Amaranthus  al- 
bus),  also  several  grasses,  especially  the  common 
peppergrass,  has  this  hopping  habit  developed  to  a 
remarkable  degree.  Another  example  of  a  skilled 
hopping  athlete  is  the  evening  primrose.  When  this 
plant  dries  up,  it  is  soon  pulled  from  the  ground  by 
the  nagging  wind.  Sometimes  its  branches  break 
in  such  a  way  that  they  give  the  impression  of  a 
number  of  crutches,  by  means  of  which  it  hops  and 
limps  over  the  prairies,  like  an  aged  cripple  try- 
ing to  get  away  from  a  storm.  This  is  its  ingenious 
way  of  sowing  its  seeds ;  and  yet  many  people  have 
never  observed  even  the  beauty  and  wonder  of  its 
flowers,  not  to  mention  the  novel  manner  in  which 


78    THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

it  travels  in  the  fall!     Very  true  are  the  poet's 
words: 

"A  primrose  by  the  river's  brim, 
A  yellow  primrose  was  to  him — 
And  it  was  nothing  more!" 

There  are  plants  which  can  tie  sailor's  knots! 
The  Virginia  knotweed  was  skilled  in  this  art  long 
before  man  had  even  heard  of  it.  The  knotweed 
is  a  first  cousin  to  the  common  knot-grass,  and  also 
to  the  prince's-feather.  The  tiny  flowers  of  the 
knotweed  are  held  on  a  long,  club-like  stalk,  at  the 
base  of  which  is  a  joint,  that  well  represents  a  sail- 
or's knot.  When  the  seeds  of  this  plant  are  ripe, 
the  pods  containing  them,  which  form  the  knots,  dry 
rapidly  and  shrink.  As  this  shrinking  continues, 
the  knot  at  last  yields  to  the  strain  and  snaps  apart 
— hurling  the  seeds  out  and  away,  to  germinate  in 
places  far  from  the  parent  plant.  This  action  is 
much  like  the  motion  of  the  small  boy  with  his 
sling-shot. 

The  capsules  of  several  of  the  violets  have  a 
strange,  mechanical  movement  of  the  valves  by 
means  of  which  they  actually  shoot  their  seeds,  often 
to  a  distance  of  several  inches  from  the  parent 
plant.  While  the  seeds  are  ripening,  the  pod  droops 
its  head  until  it  is  hidden  beneath  the  leaves;  but, 
as  soon  as  the  seeds  are  fully  developed  and  ready 


PLANTS  THAT  ARE  ATHLETES    79 

to  be  scattered  abroad,  the  stem  holding  the  pod 
becomes  erect,  the  pod  itself  raises  its  head  until  it 
is  level  with  or  above  the  leaves,  when  it  divides  it- 
self into  three  valves,  laying  them  back  horizontally 
so  that  the  seeds  may  not  fall  out;  and  then  begins 
the  process  of  shooting.  As  the  hard,  dry 
edge  of  the  valve  contracts  it  presses  the  under 
side  of  the  outer  row  of  seeds;  they,  in  turn, 
pressing  on  the  middle  rows.  As  fast  as 
one  seed  is  projected  another  rolls  down  and 
takes  its  place,  the  hard  edges  of  the  valve  often 
curling  together  to  force  out  the  last  remaining  one. 
By  this  mechanical  expulsion  of  its  seeds  the  violet 
is  enabled  to  secure  a  wide  distribution  of  its  species. 
It  need  have  no  fear  of  its  seeds  falling  so  close 
about  the  parent  plant  that  all  will  be  crowded,  and 
so  die  for  lack  of  air  and  sunshine  and  nourishment 
from  the  earth. 

There  are  numerous  other  kinds  of  gunners  and 
archers  among  the  plants,  and,  just  as  with  man, 
their  guns  or  projectors  and  their  manner  of  shoot- 
ing are  widely  different.  The  common  yellow 
oxalis  or  "sheep  sorrel"  has  developed  the  shoot- 
ing-habit to  a  wonderful  degree.  Its  tiny  seeds  are 
covered  with  thin,  skin-like  bands  that  act,  when 
touched,  like  elastics  on  a  sling-shot,  by  suddenly 
curling  up  with  sufficient  force  to  shoot  the  tiny 


80    THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

seeds  a  considerable  distance.  This  movement  is 
as  quick  as  a  flash  of  lightning,  and  the  seed-pod 
is  usually  turned  inside  out.  The  oxalis  holds  its 
seed-pods  erect,  daring  any  one  to  touch  them! 
And  if  one  does,  away  shoot  the  seeds  to  a  new 
home  where  they  will  germinate  and  grow  as  new 
plants.  This  is  their  only  method  of  getting  away 
from  home;  if  they  did  not  shoot  out  into  the 
world,  they  would  continue  to  sow  their  seeds  in 
the  same  place  until  they  would  crowd  each  other 
out. 

The  witch-hazel,  touch-me-not,  squirting  cucum- 
ber, balsam,  wild  geranium,  peas  and  vetches,  mus- 
tard, and  castor  bean — all  these  send  their  children 
into  the  world  by  shooting  or  squirting  them  far 
from  the  parent  plant.  Some  of  these  fruits  act 
as  regular  sling-shots,  hurling  their  seeds  some- 
times, as  in  the  case  of  the  witch-hazel,  twenty  to 
twenty-five  feet;  others,  like  the  balsam  vine  and 
the  squirting  cucumber,  act  like  a  squirting  gun; 
while  the  touch-me-not,  when  touched  or  shaken, 
suddenly  twists  back,  and  shoots  its  seeds  out  with 
such  force  that  they  rattle  like  bird-shot  among 
the  dead  leaves.  Observe  the  fruit-pods  of  beans 
and  peas,  especially  when  they  are  first  exposed  to 
a  dry  atmosphere,  and  this  wonderful  shooting 
phenomenon  will  soon  be  apparent.  Or  collect  some 


- 


YTM& 

,f       v  y 


JIMSON-WEED.    Datura  Stramonium. 

Unlike  most  plant  athletes,  this  retains  a  portion  of  its  seeds  for  spring 
sowing. 


WITCH-HAZEL.     Hamamelis  Virglnlca. 
This  skilled  athlete  hurls  its  seeds  for  twenty  to  twenty-five  feet. 


PLANTS  THAT  ARE  ATHLETES    81 

branches  of  the  witch-hazel  and  keep  them  in  a  vase 
for  a  few  days. 

There  are  many  skilled  aeronauts  among  the 
plant  athletes.  They  have  been  working  and  ex- 
perimenting for  ages  in  perfecting  their  magnifi- 
cent airships.  So  skilled  are  they  and  so  far  ad- 
vanced in  the  art  of  flying,  that  their  balloons,  kites, 
parachutes,  and  airships  are  being  studied  and  imi- 
tated by  man.  These  unique  airships  are  designed 
with  marvellous  skill.  Among  the  dandelions, 
goldenrods,  asters,  and  thistles,  are,  perhaps,  the 
most  perfectly  devised  airships.  When  the  tiny 
seeds  of  these  plants  are  ready  to  go  out  into  the 
world,  each  has  a  ship  of  its  own  by  means  of  which 
it  may  navigate  the  air. 

The  fruits  of  the  maple,  elm,  pine,  and  ash  are 
prepared  for  sailing  from  high  elevations — the 
tree-tops.  They  do  not,  as  a  usual  thing,  travel 
for  very  long  distances,  but  are  apt  to  light  fairly 
near  the  parent  tree.  Thus  these  trees  are  quite 
often  found  in  large  groups,  like  the  pine  forests. 
The  fruit  of  the  elm  is  placed  in  the  centre  of  its 
airship,  and  as  it  floats  to  the  ground  it  seems  to 
hesitate  before  alighting,  like  a  butterfly,  or  an  in- 
sect-hunting sparrow,  as  though  it  were  trying  to 
decide  if  this  were  a  choice  spot  for  landing. 

There  are  certain  airship  plants,  like  the  bladder- 


82    THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

nut,  which  live  near  the  water's  edge,  and  their  bal- 
loons are  likely  to  be  lost  at  sea  unless  some  special 
provision  is  made  to  save  the  children  in  case  the 
balloon  falls  into  the  water.  To  this  end  they  have 
made  their  three  gas  compartments,  each  of  which 
carries  a  tiny  sailor,  safely  guarded  in  an  air-tight 
room ;  and,  if  by  chance  the  bladdernut  grows  tired 
of  sailing  in  the  air,  it  may  easily  light  in  the  water, 
and  glide  along  as  smoothly  as  a  water- fowl  or  a 
man-made  hydroplane. 

The  children  of  the  linden  travel  by  means  of  a 
kite-like  appendage,  which  may  be  used  as  a  life- 
preserver  in  case  the  seed  falls  into  the  water.  The 
narrow-leafed  dock,  another  plant  which  grows 
near  the  water,  carries  a  life-preserver  attached  to 
its  seeds.  If  for  any  reason  the  seeds  become  sep- 
arated from  their  preservers,  they  immediately  sink 
beneath  the  water  and  are  lost. 

Many  of  the  grasses  and  sedges  travel  by  means 
of  boats,  canoes,  and  rafts.  In  the  genus  Carex, 
the  fruit  grows  in  a  tiny  canoe ;  and  many  the  craft 
that  silently  lands  its  happy  passenger  in  a  place  of 
safety!  In  the  arrowhead,  the  cat-tail  flag,  butter- 
cups, and  cinquefoil,  there  is  always  some  form  of 
sail,  boat,  canoe,  or  raft,  by  which  the  seeds  may 
be  saved  from  shipwreck.  These  life-preservers 
are  usually  in  the  form  of  woody  or  paper-like  ap- 


PLANTS  THAT  ARE  ATHLETES    83 

pendages,  often  growing  from  the  pointed  end  of 
the  seed. 

It  is  not  uncommon  to  find  plants  sailing  in  the 
water  that  are  supposed  to  travel  only  in  the  air; 
for  example  the  milkweeds  can  easily  use  their  air- 
ship equipment  as  sails  in  the  water.  These  sails 
have  no  difficulty  in  propelling  the  flat-margined 
seeds.  Occasionally  a  number  of  the  hairy  sails  be- 
come free  from  their  seeds  and  form  a  sort  of 
drifting  raft  for  other  tiny  seeds  that  may  have 
caught  on  to  them. 

Some  small  plants,  like  the  bulblets  of  the  wild 
garlic,  actually  float  or  swim  while  growing.  It 
is  small  wonder  that  they  are  so  widely  distributed. 

In  the  north,  where  the  snow  covers  the  earth 
for  a  large  part  of  the  year,  it  often  happens  that 
a  thin  coating  of  ice  forms  on  top  of  the  snow.  This 
coating  is  very  slippery,  and  makes  an  excellent 
skating  ground  for  small  seeds.  And  these  seeds 
are  ever  ready  to  take  advantage  of  a  trip  across 
the  ice.  They  rise  with  a  puff  of  the  wind,  alight 
on  the  ice,  and  skate  or  float  to  their  destination. 
Away  they  go,  like  happy  children,  out  for  a  win- 
ter frolic. 

Many  of  these  plants,  like  the  prickly  pigweed, 
and  lamb's-quarter,  have  prepared  their  children  for 
these  winter  sports  long  before  they  have  a  chance 


84    THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

to  go;  so  the  tiny  seeds  have  to  wait,  just  as  other 
children,  for  the  ice  to  freeze  over  before  they 
can  skate.  The  mother  plant  has  had  to  hold  her 
arms,  or  branches,  which  bear  the  children,  carefully 
above  the  snow  until  the  ice  has  become  right.  Then 
along  comes  a  bunch  of  hungry  little  birds  who, 
in  their  efforts  to  get  the  seeds  for  food,  scatter 
them  upon  the  snow  and  ice.  But  not  all  of  these 
seeds  skate.  Some  prefer  to  play  in  the  snow, 
digging  a  house  in  a  big  snowdrift  and  soon  be- 
coming covered  up,  where  they  must  sleep  till  the 
warm  sunshine  melts  the  snow  and  releases  them. 
Some  plants,  like  the  common  locust,  make  ice- 
boats by  means  of  their  long  pods,  which  have 
fallen  to  the  ground  and  burst  open.  There  are 
always  an  equal  number  of  seeds  clinging  to  each 
side,  gleefully  begging  to  be  taken  for  a  sleigh 
ride  across  the  icy  fields ;  and  they  do  not  have  long 
to  wait.  Along  comes  the  kind  wind,  and  away 
the  pod-sleighs  go,  rattling  over  the  snow  and  ice. 
Some  of  the  seeds  drop  off  on  the  hill  top,  others 
travel  to  the  valley  below;  and  still  others  cling  to 
the  boat,  as  though  they  were  fearful  of  going  out 
into  the  great  world.  But  each  of  the  locust's  seeds 
is  well  clothed  and  protected.  They  are  very  hard, 
and  their  parent  tree  has  so  coloured  them  that 
they  are  not  easily  seen  by  hungry  birds. 


PLANTS  THAT  ARE  ATHLETES  85 

Not  the  least  among  the  various  sports  of  plants 
is  dancing.  Since  the  earliest  times  dancing  has 
been  associated  with  flowers.  To  such  an  extent 
is  this  true  that  among  the  old  Egyptians  even 
their  religious  dances  were  carried  out  largely  by 
means  of  garlands.  There  is  a  comparatively 
modern  Egyptian  dance  called  "The  Bee"  in  which 
there  are  numerous  wreaths  of  flowers.  The  weird 
dances  of  the  East  Africans  also  were  aided  by 
flowers.  How  often  in  literature  do  we  see  ref- 
erence to  dancing  flowers,  such  as  "the  dancing 
Columbine" !  A  strange  plant  of  the  East  Indies, 
known  to  botanists  as  Mcmtisia  saltoria,  has  gained 
for  itself  the  name  of  "Dancing  Girls."  This  is, 
no  doubt,  due  to  its  supposed  resemblance  to  a 
woman.  The  name  saltoria  is  derived  from  the 
Latin  word  meaning  a  dancer. 

There  are  some  strange  seeds  known  as  "Mexican 
jumping  beans."  These  seeds  are  the  fruit  of  a 
small  shrub  which  grows  in  Mexico,  Central  and 
South  America.  The  seeds  are  triangular  in  shape, 
and  for  about  six  months  they  are  continually 
jumping  and  jerking,  or  rolling  from  side  to  side. 
This  lively  movement  is  caused  by  a  fat  little  worm 
which  inhabits  each  bean.  As  the  worm  grows  he 
cuts  a  door  in  his  bean  house  and  spins  over  it  a 
portiere  of  silk ;  then  he  curls  up  for  his  last  sleep ; 


86    THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

and  when  he  wakes  he  pushes  his  way  through  the 
door  and  sails  out  into  the  world,  a  tiny  grey  moth. 

There  is  one  form  of  athletics  in  which  the  gym- 
nast or  "outdoor  man"  of  to-day  does  not  indulge 
to  a  great  extent,  although  for  his  general  develop- 
ment the  pursuit  of  this  kind  of  exercise  with  more 
avidity  would  be  beneficial.  This  is  climbing.  If 
we  are  to  accept  the  theories  of  Darwin,  we  must 
believe  that  climbing  was  more  than  a  popular 
sport  for  our  ancestors;  and  certainly  the  instinc- 
tive inclination  of  children  toward  this  effort  would 
seem  to  point  to  some  inherited  suggestion  or  lean- 
ing in  the  direction  of  this  form  of  exercise. 

In  plant  life  we  find  instances  of  climbers  so 
numerous  as  to  indicate  the  most  popular  of  all  the 
forms  of  athletics  pursued  by  the  plants.  How- 
ever, there  are  radical  differences  in  the  methods 
of  climbing  followed  by  different  plants.  The 
Virginia  creeper,  for  instance,  forms  little  sticky 
feet  at  the  ends  of  its  tendrils;  and  in  climbing,  all 
the  tendrils,  sensitive  to  the  light  and  darkness,  seek 
out  the  dark  nooks  and  crevices  in  preference  to 
the  light  places,  and,  clinging  there,  enable  the 
plant  to  mount  to  the  top  of  the  support.  The 
bryony,  on  the  contrary,  catches  at  anything  that 
will  afford  a  means  of  tenability,  preferring  the 
light  to  the  darkness,  and  therefore  tending  toward 


PLANTS  THAT  ARE  ATHLETES    87 

the  lighter  side  or  portion  of  the  object  upon  which 
it  climbs. 

The  American  wistaria  (Kraurihia  frutescens) 
is  one  of  the  most  popular  of  climbing  athletes. 
It  is  commonly  found  in  the  South  and  West  where 
its  blossoms  form  a  veritable  canopy  of  purple  over 
the  porches  and  trees  in  the  early  spring.  Later, 
when  its  leaves  are  fully  developed,  its  boughs  are 
a  favourite  nesting  place  for  mocking-birds.  The 
wistaria  sometimes  grows  to  the  enormous  height 
of  sixty  feet,  its  grey  stems  looking  not  unlike 
twisted  wooden  arms  reaching  upward. 

Yellow  jessamine  (Gelsemium  sempervirens)  is 
perhaps  the  most  typical  of  all  American  twiners. 
The  genus  has  only  this  single  species,  and  no  very 
near  relatives  outside  of  the  American  continent. 
The  vine  has  small,  willow-like  leaves,  and  is  usually 
classed  as  an  evergreen,  but  it  has  been  known  to 
shed  its  leaves  at  intervals. 

This  interesting  climber  blossoms  among  the 
earliest  flowers  of  spring.  It  is  not  uncommon  to 
find  it  in  full  bloom  in  January,  especially  in  Texas 
and  Florida;  and  in  March,  Alabama  and  Missis- 
sippi are  filled  with  its  fragrance.  It  delights  in 
climbing  over  bushes  and  shrubs,  and  often  its 
delicate  yellow  flowers  may  be  seen  in  great  pro- 


88    THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

fusion  swinging  from  the  boughs  of  pine-trees 
forty  to  fifty  feet  in  the  air. 

Perhaps  the  greatest  charm  of  the  yellow  jessa- 
mine is  not  its  athletic  prowess  as  a  climber,  nor 
the  beauty  of  its  golden  flowers,  but  its  marvellous 
perfume! 

"The  perfume  from  the  blossom's  cell, 
On   every   zephyr  stealing." 

Yet  it  is  a  plant  of  many  notions  and  moods, 
and  as  a  result  it  is  often  found  entirely  devoid  of 
perfume.  A  strange  trait  indeed,  for  a  plant  famed 
for  its  delightful  fragrance! 

An  interesting  error  has  arisen  regarding  the 
name  of  this  climber.  While  it  is  commonly  known 
in  the  South  as  "jasmine,"  it  is  not  botanically  re- 
lated to  the  genus  Jasminum,  or  the  true  jasmines. 
"Jasminum"  probably  came  from  the  Arabic  name 
of  the  plant,  "jasmin." 

But,  whatever  the  origin  of  its  name,  the  yellow 
jessamine  is  enthroned  forever  in  the  minds  of 
those  who  have  been  fortunate  enough  to  see  it  in 
all  its  glory  of  golden  perfumed  blossoms  joyously 
proclaiming  to  the  world,  "Spring  has  come!" 

The  plant  which  climbs  eternally,  always  strain- 
ing toward  the  light,  shows  in  its  glossy  leaves  or 
its  gorgeous  blossoms  and  in  its  long  natural  term 


YELLOW    JESSAMINE.     Gelsemium   sempervirena. 

An  athlete  that  climbs  vigorously  over  tree  and  fence,  filling  the  air  with 
the  perfume  of  its  bio; 


PLANTS  THAT  ARE  ATHLETES  89 

of  life  the  good  it  has  drawn  from  this  climbing 
habit.  There  is  a  high  development  of  courage  and 
will,  as  well  as  of  physical  power,  toward  which 
the  persistent  climber  makes  a  marked  advance. 


IX 

PLANTS  THAT  EIDE  ON   ANIMALS 

THERE  are  many  kinds  of  plants  that  seem 
to  desire  to  go  out  into  the  great  world  and 
accomplish  something  but  have  no  plumes  nor 
wings,  nor  airships,  such  as  the  dandelion  possesses, 
by  which  they  may  fly.  Their  children  are  not  shot 
into  the  world,  as  are  those  of  the  oxalis ;  they  have 
not  the  power  of  the  squirting  cucumber ;  they  can 
not  roll  and  tumble,  like  the  Rose  of  Jericho;  nor 
can  they  float  to  a  safe  destination,  like  the  cocoa- 
nut;  they  cannot  walk,  as  do  many  of  the  ferns  and 
grasses ;  nor  do  they  have  the  beauty  to  attract  birds 
and  animals,  as  do  the  cherries  and  plums ;  yet  they 
grow  tired  of  staying  in  one  place  and  must,  like 
other  plants  and  animals,  find  a  way  whereby  they 
may  travel  into  the  big  world.  Their  seeds  must 
be  distributed  in  new  soils  and  various  places  suit- 
able for  their  best  development;  and  this  they  do 
by  the  simple  method  of  taking  a  ride !  And  many 
and  varied  are  their  beasts  of  burden. 

Some  stick  to  the  feet  and  wings  of  birds  and 
90 


PLANTS  RIDE  ON  ANIMALS       91 

thus  travel  around;  others  ride  in  the  water  attached 
to  fish  that  may  happen  to  swim  their  way;  still 
others  watch  for  insects  on  which  they  may  steal  a 
ride;  but  a  favourite  device  with  many  is  to  ride 
on  animals,  or  even  people. 

The  kinds  of  plants  which  ride  on  animals  must 
be  able  to  catch  hold  of  the  animal  as  he  passes  by, 
or  stops  to  graze,  as  a  boy  "hops"  a  passing  car. 
To  this  end,  plants  which  travel  on  animals  have 
many  clever  tricks  whereby  they  may  catch  and 
cling  to  the  passer.  Some  carry  a  diversity  of 
hooks,  claws,  and  grapnels.  Some  have  developed 
certain  shapes  and  devices  for  clinging;  others  have 
formed  the  most  fantastic  and  demoniacal  methods 
of  holding  on  to  the  unfortunate  animal  to  which 
they  have  attached  themselves. 

Among  the  simpler  clingers  is  the  common  bur- 
dock. The  seeds  of  this  plant  are  very  troublesome, 
and  have  become  so  well  adapted  to  travelling  by 
using  the  peculiar,  tiny  hooks  or  claws  which  aid 
them  to  cling,  that  they  are  very  widely  distributed 
over  the  earth.  They  mount  the  tails  of  horses  and 
cows,  cling  to  the  fleeces  of  sheep  and  goats;  and 
sometimes  even  steal  a  ride  on  a  Jack-rabbit !  Burrs 
of  this  type  are  filled  with  large  seeds,  and  they 
remain  attached  to  the  animal  until  they  find  a  suit- 
able home  or  place  to  live,  when  they  drop  to  the 


92    THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

ground  soon  to  germinate  and  spring  into  new 
plants. 

Another  kind  of  clinger  is  the  cockle-bur.  These 
burrs  also  are  covered  with  tiny  sharp  hooks,  which 
are  terrible  indeed  when  embedded  in  the  skin  of 
animals,  for  they  are  almost  impossible  to  shake 
off  or  pick  loose.  These  plants  frequent  pasture 
lands  and  the  burrs  are  especially  prone  to  ride 
on  horses'  tails. 

Still  another  clinger  is  the  sand-spur,  which  grows 
abundantly  in  open  fields  and  in  dry  desert  places 
of  America.  The  spurs  are  the  seeds  of  a  peculiar 
form  of  sand-loving  grass ;  and  when  once  they  get 
a  start  in  a  new  region  it  is  practically  impossible 
to  free  the  land  of  them.  These  spurs  attach 
themselves  to  animals,  and  often  lacerate  their  flesh ; 
sometimes  they  so  completely  cover  the  feet  of  dogs, 
or  even  of  children,  that  it  is  impossible  for  them 
to  walk  until  the  spurs  are  removed.  Occasionally 
the  seeds  fasten  themselves  in  an  animal's  mouth, 
causing  it  to  suffer  severe  pain;  they  often  attach 
themselves  to  the  beaks  of  doves  and  various  prairie 
birds. 

Every  one  has  possibly  seen  the  stick-tights — 
or  has  acted  as  their  unwelcome  beast  of  burden! 
How  harmless  the  little  akenes  (seed-pods)  with 
their  tiny  spiked  horns  appear!  All  the  summer 


PLANTS  RIDE  ON  ANIMALS        93 

the  parent  plant  has  been  preparing  her  babies  for 
their  autumn  trip.  At  last  their  dainty  brown 
travelling  suits,  all  trimmed  with  sharp-pointed 
hooks,  are  finished;  and  every  little  hook  or  finger 
is  ready  to  cling  to  the  first  passer-by,  horse  or  cow, 
boy  or  girl,  man  or  woman.  For  they  have  never 
been  away  from  home  before,  and,  like  anxious  chil- 
dren, they  naturally  wish  to  ride  out  into  the  big 
world !  At  last  along  rush  a  number  of  schoolboys 
on  their  outing.  Seizing  their  opportunity,  the 
tiny  akenes  catch  hold  of  the  boys'  trousers,  and 
over  the  hills  they  ride,  until  time  for  the  boys' 
luncheon,  when  they  are  picked  off  the  trousers  and 
left  many  miles  from  their  former  homes,  where 
they  will  take  up  their  residence  and  start  a  new 
patch  of  stick-tights. 

Among  the  numerous  kinds  of  seeds — such  as 
those  of  strawberries,  blackberries,  gooseberries, 
cranberries,  grapes,  and  currants — which  are 
largely  distributed  by  birds  which  eat  them,  it  is 
not  uncommon  for  seeds  to  attach  themselves  to 
the  feet  and  feathers  of  birds,  and  thus  ride  away 
to  a  suitable  place  of  abode.  However,  this  is  not 
so  common  a  method  of  travelling  as  that  of  cling- 
ing by  means  of  hooks. 

There  grows  in  the  United  States  a  very  weird 
looking  fruit,  known  to  botanists  as  the  Martynia 


94    THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

proboscidea^  which'  has  two  backward-curving 
horns,  from  one  and  one-half  to  three  inches  long, 
strikingly  like  miniature  buffalo  horns.  These  are 
very  tough  and  hard,  and  the  two  grapples  curve 
in  toward  their  base,  forming  a  half-completed 
circle,  which  is  peculiarly  adapted  to  catching  on 
to  the  feet  of  cattle,  sheep,  and  goats,  and  occa- 
sionally hogs.  This  strange  plant  is  often  referred 
to  in  writings  as  the  unicorn-plant.  It  is  largely 
cultivated  for  its  fruit  in  many  parts  of  the  coun- 
try, but  in  some  places  it  is  a  very  unwelcome 
guest. 

Of  all  horrible,  uncanny,  and  fiendishly  wicked 
plants,  the  South  African  grapple-plant  has  no 
rival.  The  very  thought  of  its  diabolical  ways  is 
enough  to  make  one  shudder.  It  is  worse  than 
the  Murderer  Liana  that  strangles  its  victim  to 
death;  and  it  uses  the  same  unscrupulous  tyranny 
and  injustice  that  we  might  expect  to  find  among 
the  lowest  and  most  uncivilised  savages.  Nearly 
all  African  travellers  have  mentioned  its  murderous 
habits;  Dr.  Livingstone  says:  "It  has  so  many 
hooked  thorns  as  to  cling  most  tenaciously  to  any 
animal  to  which  it  may  become  attached.  When 
it  happens  to  lay  hold  of  the  mouth  of  an  ox,  the 
animal  stands  and  roars  with  a  sense  of  pain  and 
helplessness.  The  fruits  when  dry  are  hard  and 


PLANTS  RIDE  ON  ANIMALS       95 

bony,  the  fleshy  or  pulpy  matter  being  dried  up  or 
absent.  They  have  thus  the  appearance  of  huge 
long-legged  spiders.  The  thorns  or  hooks  are  ex- 
ceedingly sharped  and  recurved,  lacerating  the  flesh 
and  tearing  the  clothes  fearfully  when  they  have 
become  attached.  These  spines  are  merely  natural 
prolongations ;  the  flowers  are  of  a  rich  crimson  and 
purple  colour;  the  corolla  is  tubular  and  somewhat 
of  the  shape  of  the  foxglove;  the  calyx  is  five- 
parted;  and  the  fruit  contains  a  number  of  pecu- 
liarly wrinkled  seeds." 

It  is  claimed  that  the  fruits  of  this  plant  some- 
times bring  death  to  so  powerful  an  animal  as  the 
royal  lion.  If  while  rolling  about  on  the  dry  plains 
they  attach  themselves  to  the  lion's  skin,  in  trying 
to  get  them  out  he  often  gets  them  into  his  mouth 
and  as  a  result  perishes  in  great  agony. 

The  number  of  plants  whose  seeds  ride  on  ani- 
mals is  very  large ;  but  there  are  some  more  progres- 
sive— or  more  fortunate — than  their  neighbours  who 
do  their  travelling  by  means  of  the  railroads ;  some 
even  take  long  steamboat  journeys.  Seeds  of  vari- 
ous kinds,  like  the  grasses  and  sedges,  clovers,  and 
flax,  often  ride  to  regions  uninhabited  by  their  kind 
in  the  bedding  or  litter  of  stock  cars.  When  the 
cars  arrive  at  the  stock-yards  they  are  unloaded  but 
seldom  cleaned;  instead,  they  are  sent  with  their 


96    THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

cargo  and  passenger  seeds  to  new  shipping  points. 
Here,  if  the  new  cargo  demands  clean  cars,  the  dirt 
is  swept  out,  and  the  seeds  find  new  homes  in  lands 
probably  hundreds  of  miles  from  their  original 
starting  place.  Those  that  travel  on  boats  usually 
are  wind-blown  seeds  that  cling  to  the  clothing  or 
baggage  of  passengers,  or  stow  themselves  away  in 
miscellaneous  corners  of  the  cargo. 

So  these  many  unpopular  plant-children  do  not 
sulk  in  a  garden  corner  because  they  cannot  walk, 
nor  fly,  nor  climb,  nor  jump;  their  always-wise 
Mother  Nature  has  fitted  them  to  take  much  longer 
journeys  in  their  own  peculiar  way  of  catching  hold 
of  and  riding  on  animals. 


UNICORN-PLANT.     Martynia  proboscidea. 

The  cultivation  of  the  unicorn-plant  is  becoming  an  important  industry  in 
the  United  States. 


SUNFLOWER.    Helianthus. 
"The  sunflower  turns  on  her  god  when  he  sets 
The  same  look  which  she  turned  when  he  rose.' 


PLANTS    THAT    PREDICT    THE    WEATHER*,    COMPASS 
PLANTS ;  DAME  NATURE'S  ALMANAC 

"Weak  with  a  nice  sense,  the  chaste  Mimosa  stands, 
From  each  rude  touch  -withdraws  her  timid  hands; 
Oft  as  light  clouds  o'erpass  the  summer  glade, 
Alarmed  she  trembles  at  the  moving  shade, 
And  feels  alive  through  all  her  tender  form 
The  whispered  murmurs  of  the  gathering  storm; 
Shuts  her  sweet  eyelids  to  the  approaching  night, 
And  hails  with  freshened  charms  the  rising  light." 

THE  Weather  Bureau  Service  saves  annually 
at  least  fifty  million  dollars  by  its  forecasts 
and  predictions.  Day  and  night  danger  signals  and 
warnings  are  sent  out  from  the  central  office  of  this 
bureau  to  the  utmost  bounds  of  the  land.  In  a  very 
brief  period  warnings  of  the  approach  of  a  cyclone, 
a  tornado,  or  a  blizzard,  may  be  wired  to  shipmas- 
ters of  all  parts  that  will  be  affected.  Every  form 
of  warning  that  may  save  life  and  property  is  given 
against  all  weather  dangers,  from  snowstorms  to 
floods.  In  fruit-growing  countries  especially  does 
the  need  of  prophecy  of  sudden  cold  exist. 
97 


98    THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

The  scientific  staff  of  the  United  States  Weather 
Bureau  is  continually  seeking  to  improve  its  ef- 
ficiency, and  there  is  little  doubt  that,  at  no  dis- 
tant date,  it  will  adopt  the  novel  and  efficient 
method  already  in  use  in  London,  of  forecasting 
the  weather  by  means  of  the  weather-plant  (Abrus 
precatorius) .  A  number  of  scientists  believe  that 
by  means  of  this  augural  plant  it  will  be  compara- 
tively easy  to  predict  cyclones,  hurricanes,  torna- 
does, earthquakes,  and  even  volcanic  eruptions. 

Botanists  have  long  been  aware  of  the  fact  that 
by  close  observation  of  the  leaves  of  this  plant- 
prophet  the  condition  of  the  weather  may  be  cor- 
rectly foreshown.  This  plant  is  so  keenly  sensitive 
to  all  forms  of  electrical  and  magnetic  influences 
that  even  the  slightest  change  in  temperature 
is  immediately  discernible  by  the  movement  of 
the  leaves  of  the  plant,  whose  prophetic  quali- 
ties were  first  brought  into  prominence  by  an  Aus- 
trian baron,  Professor  Nowack.  His  discoveries 
were  made  known  to  the  public  about  twenty-five 
years  ago,  when  specimens  of  the  plant  were  shown 
and  weather  predictions  made  for  two  days  in  ad- 
vance. So  very  accurate  were  most  of  these  fore- 
casts, that  not  only  botanists  but  the  leading  scien- 
tific thinkers  of  the  world  became  interested.  Both 
Germany  and  Austria  took  up  the  matter;  and 


PLANTS  PREDICT  WEATHER      99 

later,  through  the  courtesy  of  King  Edward  VII, 
who  was  then  Prince  of  Wales,  Prof.  Nowack 
went  to  England  and  continued  his  interesting  ex- 
periments at  the  Kew  Gardens. 

While  at  Kew  the  sensitive  weather-plant  enabled 
him  to  predict  a  number  of  electrical  disturbances 
before  they  were  in  evidence,  in  addition  to  the 
famous  fire-damp  explosion  in  which  many  lives 
were  lost.  He  established  a  Weather-plant  Ob- 
servatory at  Kew,  and  since  then  he  has  travelled 
extensively  and  has  made  a  tremendous  collection 
of  weather-plants,  some  of  which  have  been  sent 
to  the  New  York  Botanical  Gardens. 

This  interesting  weather-plant,  or  "Indian  lico- 
rice," of  which  so  little  is  known,  has  small  leaves, 
not  unlike  a  rose,  which  are  constantly  moving. 
The  people  of  India  hold  it  in  great  esteem,  mak- 
ing beads  out  of  its  small,  curiously  egg-shaped 
seeds.  These  are  known  as  "John  Crow  beads"  and 
are  bright  scarlet,  dotted  with  black  spots,  strik- 
ingly similar  to  certain  poisonous  spiders  of  the 
tropics.  They  are  made  into  necklaces,  and  are 
used  for  rosaries — the  name  "precatorius"  means 
prayer.  The  seeds  are  used  also  as  standards  of 
weight ;  it  is  generally  known  that  the  weight  of  the 
famous  Kohinoor  diamond  was  determined  by  them. 

But  the  ability  to  foretell  weather  conditions  is 


100    THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

only  one  of  the  remarkable  powers  which  are  known 
to  exist  in  plants.  There  can  be  no  question  that 
there  also  exists  in  plant  life  a  well-balanced  sense 
of  time  and  direction.  Many,  many  times  through- 
out the  writings  of  the  poets  we  find  references 
which  concede  such  powers  to  different  plants. 
Longfellow  tells  of  the  compass-plant,  in  these 
beautiful  lines  from  "Evangeline": 

"Look  at  this   delicate   plant  that  lifts  its   head   from  the 

meadow, 
See  how  its  leaves  *  all  point  to  the  north,  as  true  as  the 

magnet; 

It  is  the  compass-flower,  that  the  finger  of  God  has  suspended 
Here  on  its  fragile  stalk,  to  direct  the  traveller's  journey 
Over  the  sea-like,  pathless,  limitless  waste  of  the  desert." 

As  a  guide  to  the  traveller  perhaps  the  best 
known  natural  compass  is  the  bark  of  trees.  Na- 
tives of  the  woods  know  that  the  north  or  shaded 
side  of  the  tree  is  usually  coated  with  the  green 
of  moss ;  and,  by  this  and  other  prominent  markings 
of  direction,  they  find  their  way  through  the  appar- 
ently pathless  forest. 

The  sunflower  is  truly  named!  Not  only  does 
it  radiate  the  golden  colour  of  the  sun,  but  it  always 

*  The.  flower  of  the  compass-plant,  not  the  leaf,  is  the  in- 
dicator of  direction,  from  which  the  plant  receives  its  name; 
although  the  leaf  does  usually,  not  always,  have  its  edges 
point  north  and  south. 


PLANTS  PREDICT  WEATHER     101 

points  toward  its  god,  and  is  second  only  to  the 
compass-plant  as  a  floral  compass. 

Sunflower  farming  is  common  in  many  parts 
of  the  world — especially  is  this  true  in  Russia, 
where  in  the  present  generation  the  sunflower  has 
become  a  prominent  product  of  most  of  the  farms. 
It  is  extensively  used  for  food,  the  seeds  being 
crushed  and  made  into  a  coarse  bread;  it  makes 
excellent  fuel;  and  it  is  cultivated  also  for  its  oil. 
The  fact  that  it  does  not  exhaust  the  soil  where 
it  grows  but,  on  the  other  hand,  actually  enriches 
it,  makes  it  an  invaluable  product. 

In  addition  to  the  weather-prophet  and  way-find- 
ing plants,  Nature  has  her  almanac,  whose  pages 
are  illustrated  with  dainty  pinks  and  blues,  with 
brilliant  reds  and  oranges,  with  stately  purples. 

To  the  lover  of  the  fields  and  woods,  the  arti- 
ficial reckoners  of  time  and  events  that  are  in  com- 
mon use  by  mankind  become  largely  superficial 
means  to  ends  already  attained  through  the  more 
sweet  and  graceful  guides  provided  by  Dame  Na- 
ture. Certainly  the  times  and  seasons  are  recog- 
nisable by  the  decorations  and  carpetings  of  wood- 
land and  meadow.  This  is  a  generally  accepted 
fact.  Hardly  realising  the  definite  action,  we  all 
assign  to  the  different  seasons  their  own  atmos- 


102    THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

phere.  We  say  the  air  "smells  like  spring,"  it  is  a 
"regular  autumn  day,"  and  so  forth,  conceding 
in  these  statements  to  each  of  the  seasons  certain 
definite  conditions  which  appeal  to  enough  of  the 
senses  to  create  an  "atmosphere."  And  unques- 
tionably to  no  sense  is  the  appeal  of  the  season  more 
direct  than  to  the  sight.  Thoreau  showed  his  rec- 
ognition of  this  when  he  claimed  that  if  he  were 
put  to  sleep  in  a  swamp,  he  could  tell  the  time  of 
year  by  the  plants  that  bloomed  about  him. 

There  is  an  association  of  certain  colours  with 
each  of  the  seasons,  which  must  be  appreciated 
when  flowers  are  considered  in  the  order  of  their 
annual  bloom. 

In  the  spring,  the  childhood  of  the  year,  the  deli- 
cate or  "baby"  colours  predominate;  soft  blues, 
dainty  pinks,  and  pretty  yellows  being  especially 
in  evidence.  There  are  the  tiny  forget-me-nots, 
blue  violets,  and  bluets;  the  yellow  jonquils,  cow- 
slips, buttercups,  and  dandelions;  and  the  sweet 
trailing  arbutus,  and  the  redbud,  a  charming  pink 
blossom  that  fills  the  woods  of  the  South  during  the 
spring  months. 

As  the  summer  months  draw  on,  the  character 
development  of  the  year's  flowers  becomes  apparent 
in  the  strengthening  of  their  tones.  The  pink  of 
spring  becomes  the  red  of  June  roses,  and  intro- 


PLANTS  PREDICT  WEATHER    103 

duces  the  rule  of  red  and  white.     Then  the  soft 
tones  draw  timidly  back  into  shaded  glens,  while  the 
blazing  summer  sun  brings  out  the  strength  of  the 
glorious  red  field  poppy,  the  trumpet-flower,  j 
the  red  lobelia,  as  contrasted  to  the  white  fields  o 
clover,  daisies,  and  mayweed. 

Red  and  white  hold  sway  until  August,  proclaim- 
ing the  onrushing  fall,  introduces  the  autumn 
styles ;  then  the  reds  soften  to  royal  purple  and  the 
whites  yield  to  their  regal  golden  successors.  The 
purple  asters,  verbenas,  and  mints,  together  with 
the  blazing  goldenrod  and  the  yellow  evening-prim- 
rose, crown  the  year  with  a  royal  robe  of  purple  and 
gold,  the  mantle  of  autumn,  and  the  imperial  proc- 
lamation of  the  Harvest  Season. 

The  winter  has,  in  its  turn,  a  distinct  group  of 
tones  which  we  associate  with  the  season,  although 
these  are  not  gained  from  any  floral  bloom  of  the 
time.  The  dark  green  of  the  evergreen  and  the 
brilliant  red  of  the  few  lingering  berries;  the 
browns  of  earth,  field,  and  highway;  and  the  soft 
white  of  the  fallen  snow,  are  synonymous  with 
winter,  and  must  therefore  be  acknowledged  as  her 
"seasonal  tones"  in  Dame  Nature's  almanac. 


XI 


PLANTS  THAT  TELL  THE  TIME  OF  DAY ;  PLANTS  THAT 
KEEP  A  DIARY 

PLANTS  can  actually  tell  the  time! 
Certain  plants  open  and  close  at  definite 
hours  of  the  day  with  such  regularity  that  they 
can  be,  and  have  been,  relied  upon  as  timepieces. 
Unknowing  persons  have  claimed  that  this  is  "due 
to  the  changes  in  temperature,"  but  there  is  evident 
in  plant  life  an  understanding  of  periods  of  time 
which  can  be  laid  to  no  such  cause  as  temperature. 
We  are  forced  to  believe  that  they  have  a  knowledge 
of  the  hours  of  the  day.  There  are  some  plants 
— the  white  or  red  water-lily,  the  proliferous  pink, 
and  the  purple  sandwort — which  regularly  open 
and  close  not  only  at  definite  hours  but  at  definite 
minutes  in  those  hours  I 

The  idea  of  plants  telling  the  time  of  day  is  not 
new.  The  Swedish  botanist,  Linnaeus,  realising 
this  remarkable  power  of  the  plant,  built  himself  a 
floral  clock  which  should,  by  the  hours  and  minutes 
of  the  opening  and  closing  of  his  plants,  indicate 
104 


PLANTS  THAT  TELL  TIME        105 

the  time  of  day.  Nor  was  the  scheme  original  with 
Linnaeus,  for,  although  to  him  is  given  the  credit 
for  this  idea,  there  is  a  passage  in  Marvell's  poem, 
"The  Garden,"  which  tells 'the  story  of  another  who 
had  planned  his  flower  clock  before  ever  Linnaeus 
saw  the  light  of  day: 

"How  well  the  skilful  gardener  drew, 
Of  flowers  and  herbs,  this  dial  knew! 
Where,  from  above,  the  milder  sun, 
Does  through  a  fragrant  Zodiac  run, 
And,  as  it  works,  the  industrious  bee 
Computes  its  time  as  well  as  we. 
How  could  such  sweet  and  wholesome  hours 
Be  reckoned  but  with  herbs  and  flowers!" 

Any  one  whose  childhood  has  been  spent  in  the 
woods  and  fields  of  the  countryside  will  recall  the 
familiar  name  of  the  common  goat's-beard,  "Go-to- 
bed-at-noon."  But  there  is  no  hour  in  the  day  that 
has  not  some  flower  to  mark  it! 

Beginning  long  before  the  sun,  we  find  the 
goat's-beard  opening  between  the  hours  of  three  and 
five  in  the  morning.  Promptly  at  four,  the  late- 
flowering  dandelion  opens;  while  at  various  min- 
utes between  four  and  five  at  least  three  plants, 
the  hawkweed  picris,  Alpine  hawk's-beard,  and  wild 
succory,  awake  to  greet  the  first  rays  of  the  morn- 
ing sun. 

At  five,  usually  with  the  striking  of  the  hour, 


106  THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

open  the  naked-stalked  poppy,  the  copper-coloured 
day-lily,  the  smooth  sow-thistle,  and  the  blue-flow- 
ered sow-thistle ;  while  within  the  following  minutes, 
until  six,  the  morning-glory  and  the  common  nip- 
plewort unfold. 

The  spotted  cat's-ear,  the  major  convolvulus,  and 
the  great  water-lily,  Victoria  Regia,  open  between 
six  and  seven  in  the  morning. 

Directly  following  these,  and  at  seven  o'clock, 
come  the  African  marigold  and  the  garden  lettuce ; 
at  eight  the  shepherd's  weather-glass  and  the  pro- 
liferous pink;  and  sharply  at  nine  o'clock  the  field 
marigold  awakes. 

Between  nine  and  ten  in  the  morning  come  the 
purple  sandwort,  the  creeping  mallow,  and  the 
chickweed ;  at  ten,  one  of  the  Mesembryanihemums; 
at  eleven,  the  Star-of -Bethlehem;  and  at  twelve,  the 
ice-plant. 

Noon  sees  the  closing  of  the  first  flowers  and  be- 
gins the  recording  of  the  "negative"  or  closing  time 
instead  of  the  "positive"  or  opening  hours;  al- 
though there  are  plants,  such  as  the  four-o'clock, 
and  the  primroses,  and  also  the  night-bloomers, 
with  their  own  regular  times,  which  open  after  the 
noon  hour. 

The  late-flowering  dandelion,  the  hawkweed 
picris,  the  Alpine  hawk's-beard,  the  blue-flowered 


DAY   LILY.     Hemerocallis  fulva. 

These  showy  flowers  open  at  five  in  the  morning  and  go  to  sleep  between 
seven  and  eight  in  the  evening. 


MOONFLOWER.    Ipomcea  Bona-nox. 

The  moonflower  sleeps  throughout  the  day  but  wakens  regularly  when 
night-time  comes. 


PLANTS    THAT   TELL  TIME        107 

sow-thistle,  and  the  creeping  mallow,  close  between 
twelve  and  one ;  between  one  and  two,  the  prolifer- 
ous pink;  promptly  at  two,  the  mouse-ear  hawk- 
weed;  and  between  two  and  three,  the  purple  sand- 
wort  ends  its  day. 

At  three  the  field  marigold  closes ;  between  three 
and  four  the  African  marigold;  from  four  to  five, 
the  common  morning-glory  and  the  spotted  cat's- 
ear;  and  at  five  o'clock  the  Victoria  Regia  leaves 
her  imperial  white  and  golden  throne  and  retires 
to  the  dainty,  silken-walled,  royal  bedchamber. 

At  about  six  the  common  nasturtium,  the  field 
clover,  and  the  garden  acacia,  fold  up  their  tents. 
Promptly  at  seven  the  naked-stalked  poppy  ends  its 
day;  between  seven  and  eight,  the  copper-coloured 
day-lily;  from  eight  to  nine,  the  wild  succory;  and 
the  chickweed,  from  nine  to  ten. 

From  ten  until  five  in  the  morning  there  are 
many  night  flowers,  such  as  the  fragrant  night- 
blooming  cereus,  the  ghostly  moonflower,  and  the 
datura,  to  check  off  the  hours  and  the  minutes. 

Was  there  ever  a  human  being  who  at  some  time 
in  his  life  did  not  try  to  keep  a  diary?  There 
seems  to  be  some  divine  instinct  inborn  in  the 
nature  of  all  living  things  which  prompts  the  rec- 
ord of  their  actions.  Were  it  not  for  this  instinct 


108    THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

there  would  be  no  written  history,  and  the  advances 
or  retreats  of  life  would  be  retarded  or  stopped. 
All  records  are  the  results  of  this  prompting ;  in  all 
life  it  is  evident.  The  same  instinct  that  told  the 
cave-man  to  cut  his  story  into  the  rock  surface 
prompts  the  small  boy  to  whittle  his  initials  on  the 
top  of  his  desk  or  on  the  old  back  fence.  Each 
obeys  an  indefinable  impulse;  neither  reasons  in  his 
act. 

And  as  in  animals  and  plants  we  find  other  visi- 
ble forms  of  a  universal  nature,  this  purely  nat- 
ural instinct,  appearing  in  the  human  type,  ap- 
pears in  all  types — if  we  can  but  discover  it — in 
animal,  bird,  fish,  and  plant. 

The  bear  makes  his  mark  by  rubbing  high  upon 
the  bark  of  a  tree.  Is  he  conscious  that  he  is  leav- 
ing a  record,  a  guide  for  other  bears  to  aim  for,  to 
attain,  and  to  supermark?  Whether  he  realises  this 
or  not,  the  record  is  made,  and  other  bears  do  strive 
to  attain  and  supermark  it ;  and  incidentally  in  the 
striving  become  a  better,  hardier,  greater  race  of 
bears. 

So  the  dog  makes  his  mark,  the  wild-cat  his,  and 
the  lion  his.  The  birds  have  their  records;  the 
fishes  theirs ;  and,  in  concession  to  this  requirement 
of  universal  nature,  all  plant  life,  from  the  tiniest 
fern  to  the  hardiest  monarch  of  the  forest,  makes 


PLANTS   THAT   TELL   TIME        109 

"and,  departing,  leaves  behind  it"  a  record  for  the 
instruction  and  inspiration  of  future  generations. 

The  trunk  of  an  alder  is  as  truly  an  autobiogra- 
phy as  are  those  written  of  themselves  by  the  hands 
of  men.  And  to  one  knowing  and  understanding 
the  meanings  of  its  various  recording  marks,  the 
story  is  as  clear  as  if  recorded  on  the  pages  of  a 
book. 

For  each  year  of  its  life  the  cross-section  of  a 
tree  trunk  shows  a  ring.  This  is  the  diary  for  that 
year.  Is  there  a  deep  depression  in  one  side  of  that 
fourth  year's  record?  Perhaps  a  fallen  log  pressed 
against  it  there,  temporarily  hindering  the  tree's 
growth  on  that  side.  Do  you  notice  that  one  side 
of  the  trunk  is  bulkier  than  the  other?  That  is 
the  southern  side,  where  the  warm  sun  by  swelling 
the  veins  has  correspondingly  increased  the  thick- 
ness of  growth.  Look  at  the  opposite  side  and  you 
will  see  that  the  bark  is  thicker  than  on  the  south- 
ern side.  The  tree  has  clothed  itself  more  warmly 
against  the  cold  north  winds  than  against  the  warm 
southern  sun;  and  on  this  side  too  you  will  find  an 
overcoat  of  green  moss — an  additional  protection 
against  cold. 

How  many  times  have  we  stood  beneath  some 
ancient  tree  and,  looking  up,  cried  hopelessly,  "Oh, 
if  you  could  only  tell  us  what  you  have  seen  in  all 


110    THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

your  years  of  life!"  But  the  tree  is  telling,  telling 
much  that  we  can  understand;  and  who  can 
say  that  it  is  not  telling  much  more,  its  whole  story, 
to  those  whose  ears  are  attuned  to  its  whisperings? 
We  have  learned  to  read  many  things  that  the 
plants  have  written;  perhaps  the  time  will  come 
when  there  will  be  some  soul,  sufficiently  unwarped 
by  the  artificialities  of  humanity,  to  open  itself  in 
all  simplicity  and  naturalness  to  the  communings  of 
the  plants,  and  so  understand  and  interpret  those 
myriads  of  unknown  things,  which  they  are  striving 
to  make  us  comprehend! 


XII 

PLANTS  THAT   BUILD   AIRSHIPS 

MAN"  usually  has  been  an  imitator,  a  fol- 
lower; seldom  a  creator  or  leader.  Many 
of  his  marvellous  inventions  are  patterned  after  the 
ingenious  work  of  plants ;  and  in  no  instance  is  this 
better  illustrated  than  in  the  airship.  Aerial  navi- 
gation is  indeed  a  new  thing  with  him;  with  plants 
it  is  "older  than  the  hills." 

The  desire  for  the  welfare  of  then*  offspring  has 
led  plants  to  invent  the  most  marvellous  and  in- 
genious methods  for  sending  their  children  into  the 
world.  Plant  children  must  not  be  sent  out  alone 
and  unprotected,  but  must  be  well  equipped  to 
battle  against  unfavourable  conditions  and  locate 
in  desirable  places.  Perhaps  overcrowding  is  the 
greatest  danger  to  which  they  are  subjected;  and 
only  as  aeronauts  have  they  solved  their  mightiest 
problem,  many  having  successfully  made  various 
kinds  of  wings,  balloons,  and  airships  with  which  to 
send  their  children  out  into  the  world. 

The  uninitiated  man  is  prone  to  look  upon  their 
111 


112    THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

aerial  navigation  as  a  sort  of  chance  or  happening 
of  no  special  importance ;  but  it  is  vitally  important, 
not  only  for  the  success  of  the  plant,  but  for  man- 
kind as  well. 

Some  plants  send  their  seed-children  out  by 
means  of  spines  and  hooks,  others  shoot  them  out  to 
places  of  safety,  still  others  float  upon  the  water, 
as  the  cocoanut;  again  some  roll  and  tumble  to  a 
suitable  home.  All  of  these  methods  of  dispersal 
are  used;  to  say  nothing  of  the  work  of  birds  and 
animals  in  aiding  them  to  distribute  the  seeds  in 
places  where  competition  is  not  too  strong,  and 
where  climatic  conditions  will  be  conducive  to  their 
best  growth;  but  there  is  a  large  group  of  plants 
that  have  adopted  by  far  the  most  ingenious  method 
of  sending  their  children  into  the  world — that  is,  by 
means  of  airships.  Plants  of  this  kind  may  be 
grouped  into  several  classes  according  to  their 
method  of  navigating  the  air. 

The  seed-children  of  the  elm-tree  and  those 
of  the  maple  and  the  ash  have  wings — like  Icarus  of 
old — and  fly  somewhat  like  birds ;  those  of  the  hop- 
tree  are  surrounded  by  a  peculiar  kite-like  structure 
with  the  seed  in  the  centre  of  this  thin  membrane; 
the  sycamore  keeps  its  children  snugly  rolled  to- 
gether in  a  ball  until  they  are  fully  developed,  when 
each  one  flies  forth  by  means  of  a  winged-arm 


DANDELION. 

The  mother-plant  presents  each  seed  with  a  fairy-like  balloon,  that  it  may 
sail  far  from  home. 


GOLDENROD  (Solldago)  and  MILKWEED  (Asclepias). 

The  goldenrods  and  the  milkweeds  are  among  the  best  known  aerial 

navigators. 


PLANTS  THAT  BUILD  AIRSHIPS  113 

which  answers  for  both  sail  and  rudder;  the  pine 
has  each  of  its  numerous  seeds  attached  to  a  deli- 
cate parachute,  and  as  the  pine  cone  bursts  open, 
each  seedlet  flies  out  into  the  big  world  attached  to 
this  protecting  carrier. 

Another  group  of  airship  plants,  like  the  clematis, 
reed  mace,  and  numerous  grasses,  have  feathery  ap- 
pendages. 

The  most  exquisite  and  dainty  balloons  are  used 
by  the  dandelions,  milkweeds,  common  thistle,  gold- 
enrods,  daisies,  and  manifold  others.  In  the 
autumn,  when  the  dandelion's  seeds  are  ready  to  be 
sent  forth  into  the  world,  each  baby  seed  is  securely 
attached  to  a  fairy-like  balloon,  with  delicate,  vel- 
vety sails,  and  is  so  light  that  it  can  float  for  a  long 
distance.  The  parent  plant  has  also  prepared  to 
protect  this  marvellous  structure  until  ready  to  send 
it  forth  with  its  precious  treasure.  In  case  of  rain, 
before  the  little  seeds  are  ready  to  leave  the  par- 
ent, there  is  a  delicate  brown  shawl  or  wrapper 
entirely  surrounding  the  myriads  of  tiny  balloons 
which  fold  up,  thus  protecting  the  seed-children 
from  the  damp. 

All  the  summer  Mother  Nature  is  busy  prepar- 
ing her  many  children  who  must  be  sent  out  into 
the  world  alone.  Some  who  are  too  timid  to  fly 
far  enough,  or  who  become  tired  because  of  weak 


114    THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

wings,  soon  fall  to  the  ground,  where  they  unfor- 
tunately are  too  crowded  to  grow,  and  die  from 
lack  of  sunshine;  others  steer  their  airships  out  over 
the  big  ocean  where  they  swim  for  a  while  and  finally 
sink  in  the  water  and  are  eaten  T)y  fish ;  those  who 
have  grown  too  attractive  from  undue  care  are  soon 
eaten  by  birds,  who  are  extremely  fond  of  seed- 
babies  ;  while  many  others  of  these  youthful  adven- 
turers, who  manage  to  light  in  apparently  suitable 
places,  are  eaten  by  insects;  and  so  only  a  few  are 
fortunate  enough,  notwithstanding  all  the  care  the 
parent  plants  bestowed  upon  them,  to  get  such  a 
start  in  life  as  to  become  successful  and  reach  their 
highest  point  of  development. 

Those  few  who  are  lucky  in  finding  comfortable 
homes  in  the  autumn,  secure  from  birds  and  insects, 
soon  fall  into  a  long  slumber,  while  the  leaves  blow 
over  them,  and  the  snow  buries  them  under,  af- 
fording a  warm,  snug  bed  where  they  sleep  all 
winter.  When  the  hot  sunshine  melts  the  snow  in 
the  spring,  the  tiny  seedg  burst  their  brown  coats  or 
shawls,  in  which  their  fond  mothers  wrapped  them 
before  they  ventured  out  into  the  world,  and  each 
sends  down  a  delicate  rootlet  to  drink  in  moisture. 
It  also  sends  up  leaves  to  drink  of  the  glorious 
air  and  sunshine.  Soon  it  grows  so  strong  and 
happy  that  more  leaves  are  sent  up,  and  finally 


PLANTS  THAT  BUILD  AIRSHIPS  115 

flowers  come  like  those  of  the  parent  plant — and  the 
flowers  develop  into  seeds. 

The  linden  provides  a  kite  for  its  seeds,  and  hurls 
them  through  the  air  by  means  of  this  device,  which 
is  so  constructed  that  the  wind  carries  it  spirally 
toward  the  earth,  often  landing  it  a  great  distance 
from  the  mother-tree.  Should  this  kite  with  its 
passenger  by  accident  fall  into  water,  it  is  prepared 
to  float  for  a  long  period  of  time,  and  if  not  too 
far  from  land  it  may  drift  back  to  shore,  like  a 
shipwrecked  sailor. 

The  bladdernut  is  still  more  ingenious.  It  builds 
an  airship  with  three  separate  compartments ;  and  in 
each  compartment  it  places  a  tiny  seed-aviator. 
Then  it  sends  them  forth,  secure  in  the  thought 
that  if  by  chance  the  airship  should  fall  into  water, 
it  will  immediately  turn  into  a  boat,  its  bladder- 
like  compartments  keeping  it  from  sinking,  and 
all  the  aeronaut-seedlets  will  be  saved. 

The  airship  plants  have  learned  to  adopt  all  the 
best  contrivances  for  the  safety  of  their  passengers. 
The  wings  on  the  flying  seeds  have  been  adapted 
to  service  as  sails  also.  See  the  weary  seed-aeronaut 
sink  gently  on  the  surface  of  the  water.  He  lies 
there  quiet  a  moment,  the  tiny  feather-sail  lightly 
swaying.  A  puff  of  fresh  wind  ripples  the  sur- 
face. The  seed-sailor  steadies,  the  sail  fills  and 


116    THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

bows,  and  the  airship,  now  a  seaship,  glides  over 
the  ripples. 

Human  aeronauts  have  boasted  of  their  hydro- 
planes as  the  conquerors  of  air  and  water  simul- 
taneously ;  but  let  them  observe  the  tiniest  seedling, 
and  they  will  find  their  original  contrivances  but 
poor  imitations  in  larger  form  of  the  hydroplanes 
in  use  in  the  realms  of  Plantdom  for  many  centuries 
past. 

Man  in  his  frail  hydroplane  guards  against  death 
among  the  waves  by  fastening  a  life-preserver 
about  his  body;  the  aeronautic  plants  learned  to  do 
that  many  ages  ago.  These  plant  life-preservers, 
also,  are  frequently  made  of  cork.  The  seeds  of  the 
dock  are  so  safe-guarded. 

But  the  air-tight  compartment  is  the  device  gen- 
erally used  by  the  plant-mother  to  protect  her  seed- 
children  from  the  perils  of  the  deep.  The  sedges, 
water-plantain,  and  many  varieties  of  the  common 
sea-weeds  have  these  compartments. 

The  airships  built  by  the  locust  show  tiny 
bulkheads  separating  the  air-tight  staterooms  in 
which  their  passengers  are  lodged.  Should  there 
be  some  accident  on  the  sea,  and  part  of  the  pod- 
vessel  be  crushed,  or  broken  open,  the  untouched 
compartments  will  remain  afloat  and  bear  at  least 
one  or  two  of  the  passengers  to  shore.  There  the 


PLANTS  THAT  BUILD  AIRSHIPS  117 

survivors  will  settle,  take  root  and  start  plant  fam- 
ilies of  their  own. 

There  is  a  strong  humanness  about  this  seed-emi- 
gration. It  is  the  eternally  repeated  story  of  the 
mother  educating,  training,  and  preparing  her  chil- 
dren to  go  out  into  the  world ;  the  setting  out,  with 
limitless  possibilities  ahead ;  the  destruction  of  some, 
the  degeneration  of  others;  and  the  success  and 
achievement  of  those  few  who  reach  their  goal. 


XIII 

PLANTS  THAT   BUILD   ISLANDS 

"Where  the  grey  beach  glimmering  runs,  as  a  belt  of   the 
dawn." 

T71EW  men  realise  the  tremendous  value  of  plants 
A  in  protecting  and  building  up  land.  Not  only 
do  they  build  islands  in  the  lakes  and  rivers,  and 
cover  them  with  marvellous  flowers  and  trees,  thus 
making  homes  for  birds,  insects,  animals,  and  even 
for  mankind ;  but  by  their  love  of  the  clean,  whole- 
some sand,  they  reclaim  millions  of  acres  of  bar- 
ren, desolate  sand-dunes,  not  only  along  the  sea- 
shore but  inland  as  well. 

On  the  west  coast  of  France  is  found  a  good 
illustration  of  this  sand-reclaiming  habit;  here  for 
miles  and  miles  the  plant-life  has  reclaimed  the 
barren  sand-dunes.  Places  once  as  void  of  trees 
and  grass  as  the  desert  of  Sahara  are  now  covered 
with  forests  of  pine,  sea-holly,  and  various  kinds 
of  shrubs  and  sand-loving  grasses,  all  of  which  aid 
in  binding  and  tying  the  drifting  sands  together. 
118 


PLANTS  THAT  BUILD  ISLANDS  119 

This  sand-binding  habit  of  certain  plants  may  be 
noticed  in  various  parts  of  the  world,  especially  on 
islands,  and  on  the  sea-coasts  of  many  countries. 
It  is  largely  due  to  these  plants  that  many  islands 
exist  at  all,  and  that  the  continents  are  as  large  as 
they  are.  Sand-binding  grasses  and  other  sand- 
loving  plants  are  of  sufficient  importance  to  have 
been  made  the  subject  for  special  consideration  by 
experts  in  topographical  and  geological  botany,  and 
by  land  commissioners  of  such  countries  as  have 
land  bordering  on  the  sea-coast. 

An  interesting  example  of  the  rapidity  and  ex- 
tent to  which  this  action  of  grasses  in  binding  and 
building  lands  can  attain  is  shown  in  one  of  the 
reports  of  the  Royal  Commission  on  Coast  Ero- 
sion. 

In  Southampton  waters  were  scattered  seeds  of 
rice-grass  by  a  ship,  whose  cargo  was  chiefly  of  this 
grass.  Probably  but  little  of  the  cargo  was  so  lost 
in  the  unloading,  but  this  portion,  washing  up  on 
the  shores,  grew  and  spread  rapidly,  until  in  its 
circular  progress  it  had  covered  the  earth  to  the 
extent  of  twenty  miles,  the  distance  between  South- 
ampton and  Hurst  Castle. 

This  sea-rice,  or  spartina,  growing  thickly  along 
the  mud-banks  of  the  shore,  gathered  and  held  much 
seaweed  that  was  washed  upon  its  stiff  points,  until 


120  THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

finally  the  elevation  of  the  banks  was  raised  and 
their  extension  into  the  water  materially  increased. 

The  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture 
has  done  some  remarkable  work  with  sand-binding 
grasses.  Large  tracts  of  land  on  Cape  Cod,  espe- 
cially the  Province  Lands,  have  been  reclaimed 
from  desolation  by  these  sand-loving  grasses. 

One  of  the  best  known  is  the  marram-grass,  or 
sand-reed,  botanically  known  as  Ammophila  are- 
naria.  It  is  common  along  the  Great  Lakes,  and  is 
found  among  the  sand-dunes  of  Indiana,  along  the 
Atlantic  coast,  and  also  in  California;  in  Europe 
it  is  commonly  found  along  the  coast  countries, 
where  it  is  extensively  used  to  protect  the  coast 
against  tides  and  storms.  This  interesting  sand- 
reed  has  been  used  as  a  land-reclaimer  in  England, 
Scotland,  Denmark,  and  Holland,  for  ages. 

It  does  not  make  good  food  for  grazing  animals, 
because  of  its  dry,  hard,  wood-like  stems ;  yet,  rab- 
bits are  fond  of  burrowing  among  its  roots  on  the 
seashore,  and  they  no  doubt  eat  the  young  shoots. 
The  blades  are  tremendously  strong,  and  are  some- 
times used  in  making  ropes. 

The  roots  and  the  buried  stems  of  this  grass  grow 
to  an  unbelievable  length,  and  gradually  become  so 
matted  and  twisted  together  as  to  bind  perfectly  all 
land  that  it  invades.  In  every  direction  they  reach 


PLANTS  THAT  BUILD  ISLANDS  121 

through  the  damp  sands,  shoving  their  way  by 
means  of  a  sharp  point  at  the  end  of  each  shoot. 
At  every  joint  is  sent  out  a  new  shoot  and  numerous 
new  roots,  in  the  same  way  that  couch-grass  spreads. 
As  the  wind  blows  the  sands  over  a  new  shoot, 
the  grass  keeps  climbing  above  the  surface,  and  so 
for  many  feet  the  sand-hill  continues  to  grow  up- 
ward. Every  drift  of  new  sand  is  hastily  tied, 
until  at  last  an  enormous  tract  of  land  is  bound 
and  tied,  laced  and  wrapped,  until  there  is  no 
escape  from  the  grass's  clinging  arms. 

Unlike  many  sand-binding  grasses,  the  marram 
does  not  like  salt  water.  It  prefers  to  occupy  the 
sand-dunes  that  are  above  the  reach  of  the  salt 
waves;  and  yet,  it  will  not  wander  too  far  inland. 
This  may  be  due  to  the  crowding  influence  of  am- 
bitious inland  grasses. 

One  of  the  most  striking  things  relative  to  the 
sand-binding  habits  of  the  marram  is  its  ability  to 
suck  up  vast  quantities  of  water.  These  enthralled 
patches  of  earth  are  always  damp,  due  to  the  water 
that  has  been  drawn  up  by  the  grass.  As  a  result, 
all  drifting  sands  immediately  adhere  to  the  damp 
sands,  and  become  saturated  in  a  short  time;  even 
the  wind  is  helpless  to  move  the  sand  grains  when 
once  they  stick.  Dry  sands  continue  to  heap  upon 
wet  sands;  and  the  ever-eager  grass  reaches  out, 


122  THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

grasps,  and  securely  binds,  thus  building  the  vast 
sand-dunes. 

Grasses  are  by  far  the  most  important  group 
of  plants ;  for  all  grains,  such  as  corn,  barley,  wheat, 
oats,  rice,  and  sugar-cane,  are  only  cultivated 
grasses. 

But  one  of  the  greatest  services  that  grasses 
afford  mankind  is  the  binding  down  and  retain- 
ing of  lands.  To  what  extent  in  this  use  grasses 
can  be  utilised,  men  have  but  begun  to  discover. 

To  this  end,  about  eighty  years  ago,  the  United 
States  Government  undertook  to  reclaim  the  sand- 
dunes  of  the  Province  of  Cape  Cod ;  but  only  since 
1895,  after  these  lands  had  been  placed  under  the 
control  of  the  Board  of  Harbor  and  Land  Com- 
missioners of  Massachusetts,  has  the  undertaking 
been  conducted  in  such  a  manner  as  to  produce  good 
results.  In  a  number  of  southern  and  western 
States,  and  especially  on  the  Pacific  coast,  inter- 
esting experiments  have  been  made  in  the  same  way. 
Oregon  has  been  using  sand-binding  grasses  not 
only  on  the  coast,  but  inland  along  the  railroad- 
tracks  as  well,  where  by  means  of  these  grasses  the 
barren  embankments  are  protected  from  wind  and 
rain. 

Among  the  various  species  of  grass  used  for  pro- 
tecting and  building  up  islands  and  sandy  land,  the 


PLANTS  THAT  BUILD  ISLANDS  123 

sea-beach  panic-grass  is  very  common.  In  the 
marshy  salt  lands  we  find  salt-reed  grass,  creek- 
sedge,  and  numerous  other  reed-like  grasses.  The 
seaside  blue-grass  is,  perhaps,  more  commonly  used 
than  any  other  kind,  especially  in  the  West.  This 
is  due  to  two  reasons:  because  of  its  sand-binding 
qualities,  and  because  of  its  excellence  as  grazing 
for  cattle.  In  the  South  various  kinds  of  sand- 
binders  are  used;  chief  among  these  are  the  well- 
known  St.  Augustine  grass  and  seaside  oats,  which 
use  their  sand-collecting  propensities  to  save  the 
water-fronts. 

Occasionally  an  island  is  formed  by  a  great  piece 
of  earth  which  has  broken  away  from  a  low-water 
bank,  usually  near  the  mouth  of  a  large  river,  and 
floated  out  to  sea,  the  soil  being  held  firmly  together 
by  matted  grass  roots.  The  sizes  of  these  floating 
islands  vary  from  a  few  feet  in  diameter  to  an 
area  of  several  acres.  Sometimes  they  carry  only 
tiny  crawling  insects  or  no  life  at  all ;  at  other  times 
there  are  trees  and  many  small  animals.  Few  of  the 
islands  exist  long  after  they  float  out  on  to  the 
rough  waters  of  the  ocean;  but  one  or  two  have 
been  known  to  travel  many  miles,  resisting  for 
months  and  even  years  all  efforts  of  the  waves  to 
buffet  them  to  pieces. 

Some  islands  rise  out  of  the  ocean,  perhaps  be- 


124    THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

cause  of  a  volcanic  upheaval,  and  such  islands  are 
usually  stationary;  but  here,  too,  plants  play  their 
important  part.  A  big  rock  rises  out  of  the  sea, 
drifting  seaweed  begins  to  lodge  on  it,  sand  and 
seashells  soon  are  heaped  upon  it,  all  increasing 
the  height  of  the  island;  more  plants,  especially 
grass  seeds,  drift  to  it;  finally  birds  come  and  bring 
more  seeds ;  perhaps  cocoanuts  think  it  a  good  rest- 
ing-place from  their  long  sea  voyages,  and  stop; 
the  seeds  of  the  binding-grasses  start  their  work 
of  binding  the  soil  together;  later  even  pine-trees 
spring  up;  and  lo!  a  habitable  island  is  the  result. 

This  ingenious  binding  and  tying  of  the  drift- 
sands  by  plants  is  done  largely  by  means  of  their 
roots.  And  there  are,  in  addition  to  the  grasses, 
many  small  shrubs  and  trees  which  are  engaged  in 
this  work. 

On  the  western  coast  of  the  United  States  there 
is  a  yellow  lupin  with  exquisite  pale-green  leaves, 
and  yellow  blossoms  which  sleep  at  night.  This 
lupin  is  usually  one  of  the  first  settlers  on  a  new 
island.  Its  long,  fibrous,  rope-like  roots  bind  the 
drifting  sands  together,  like  so  many  long  fingers ; 
other  seeds,  drifting  by,  find  a  comfortable  place 
to  germinate  and  grow.  And  soon  the  island  be- 
comes a  substantial  body  of  land  because  of  the 
patient  work  of  these  plants. 


PLANTS  THAT  BUILD  ISLANDS  125 

It  is  interesting  to  know  that  many  small  grasses 
which  appear  to  be  only  two  or  three  feet  high  are 
in  reality  often  forty  to  fifty  feet  from  their  low- 
est roots  to  the  tip  of  their  blades  above  the  earth. 
As  each  stalk  of  grass  sends  out  numerous  others,^ 
each  of  which  is  covered  with  myriads  of  small 
thread-like  roots,  it  is  not  difficult  to  understand 
how  tightly  bound  the  drift-sands  become.  These 
living  threads  have  sewed  them  together.  The 
sands  blow  over  the  grass,  of  course;  but  imme- 
diately it  begins  to  send  out  roots  and  to  send  up 
stems. 

There  are  several  species  of  the  mangrove-tree 
(Rhizophora)  that  have  a  unique  way  of  building 
islands.  The  appearance  of  the  mangrove  is  such 
that  many  strange  superstitions  have  arisen  regard- 
ing it.  By  some  of  the  natives  on  the  coast  of 
Africa  it  is  supposed  to  walk  around  in  the  water 
at  night;  others  regard  it  as  the  mother  of  the 
earth,  because  it  reclaims  land  from  the  sea.  The 
fantastic  shape  of  this  tree,  because  of  its  method 
of  branching,  is  very  unusual.  There  are  several 
species ;  two  of  them,  common  to  Asia,  Africa,  and 
Australia,  allow  their  seeds  actually  to  germinate 
before  leaving  the  parent  tree.  The  fruit,  when 
mature,  resembles  a  large  inverted  berry  containing 
one  seed ;  this  fruit  is  well  protected  by  seed-leaves, 


126  THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

and  is  usually  about  one  and  one-half  feet  in  length. 
From  the  lower  end  of  this  fruit  grows  a  long 
root,  sometimes  attaining  the  length  of  two  feet 
before  the  fruit  is  dropped  from  the  tree.  When 
the  root-end  of  the  fruit  sticks  in  the  mud,  the 
lower  part,  or  root-tip,  is  ready  to  begin  feeding 
the  upper  leaves  which  are  about  to  sprout  in  the 
new  plant.  Thus  another  young  tree  is  started. 
Had  the  fruit  not  germinated  before  leaving  the 
parent  tree,  in  all  probability  it  would  have  rotted 
in  the  mud  and  water  before  it  had  a  chance  to 
germinate.  How  wisely  the  mother-plant  acted 
before  sending  her  child  into  the  world  to  struggle 
for  itself! 

But  even  that  protection  is  not  sufficient  on 
wind-swept  islands ;  and  so,  the  mangrove-tree  pro- 
duces aerial  roots,  which  it  sends  forth  from  the 
many-branching  stems.  It  is  by  means  of  these 
manifold  roots,  or  walking-feet,  that  the  mangrove 
is  enabled  to  reclaim  land  from  water.  It  has  proved 
itself  to  be  an  ingenious  island-builder;  and  not 
only  islands,  but  inland  swamps  are  filled  with 
these  strange  water-walking  plants. 

In  several  parts  of  the  United  States,  especially 
in  Texas,  Louisiana,  and  Florida,  the  mangrove 
grows  in  abundance;  but  nature  does  no  unneces- 
sary work,  and  as  most  of  these  trees  grow  under 


PLANTS  THAT  BUILD  ISLANDS  127 

more  favourable  conditions  than  those  that  produce 
islands,  it  is  not  necesary  for  them  to  have  so  many 
aerial  roots,  nor  to  spread  their  branches  so  pro- 
fusely; so  they  stand  erect,  and  reach  a  consider- 
able height.  These  trees  are  covered  with  myriads 
of  leaves  which  fall  annually  and  thus  build  up  the 
land. 

Most  plants  which  build  islands — such  as  the  sea- 
rocket,  the  horned-poppy,  and  the  sea-holly — not 
only  love  the  salt  water,  but  actually  like  the  rough 
life ;  many  preceding  generations  have  inured  them 
to  such  conditions,  until  now  they  could  not  thrive 
without  them. 


XIV 

PLANTS  THAT   PEODUCE  LIGHTS;   PLANTS  THAT  SEE 

'Tig  said  at  Summer's  evening  hour, 
Flashes  the  golden-coloured  flower, 
A  fair  electric  flame. 

— COLERIDGE. 

SHOULD  one  walk  through  a  dark  forest  at 
night,  especially  in  the  tropics,  one  would  fre- 
quently see  strange  lights  among  the  foliage  and 
decaying  leaves.  These  lights  are  really  luminous 
leaves,  and  may  be  of  the  elm,  oak,  cottonwood,  or 
beech.  If  closely  examined  such  leaves  prove  to  be 
damp,  and  most  of  them  are  yellow  and  covered 
with  spots.  The  cause  of  the  leaf's  luminosity  is  not 
due  to  the  substance  of  the  leaf  itself,  but  to  a 
fungous  growth  on  the  leaf. 

There  are  numerous  light-producing  fungi  and 
algae ;  the  light-developing  qualities  of  these  plants 
being  dependent  upon  the  amount  of  oxygen  they 
contain.  There  are  also  luminous  mushrooms. 
Perhaps  this  production  of  light  may  be  their 
method  of  attracting  the  beetles,  moths,  and  gnats 
128 


MARIGOLD.     Tagetes  erecta. 

At  night  this  plant  illuminates  its  blossoms  by  emitting  waves  of  light  that 
play  over  the  petals  like  mimic  lightning. 


PLANTS  THAT  PRODUCE  LIGHTS   129 

— which  lay  eggs  in  the  spore-bearing  tissues  of 
these  plants.  Thus  the  plant  lights  up  its  house 
for  its  guests,  just  as  men  light  their  houses  at 
night. 

The  light  produced  by  fungi  is  due  to  phosphor- 
escence. It  is  commonly  found  in  old  wells,  caves, 
and  especially  in  mines.  Here  it  produces  a  most 
weird  effect  on  the  observer.  The  light  is  steady, 
and  constant,  never  flashy,  or  glimmering,  and  is 
usually  of  a  white,  green,  or  blue  character.  The 
effect  produced  is  not  unlike  that  of  moonshine 
lighting  up  a  fairy  castle!  And  so  bright  is  this 
light  that  one  may  easily  distinguish  objects  near 
at  hand. 

Numbers  of  the  larger  flowers,  like  the  sunflower, 
nasturtium,  marigold,  and  tiger  lily,  emanate  a 
phosphorescent  glow.  The  lights  given  forth  by 
these  plants  are  more  varied  in  colour  than  those 
in  the  deep  caves  and  mines :  some  are  violet,  others 
green,  and  still  others  orange  or  red. 

Many  interesting  superstitions  have  arisen  re- 
garding the  double  marigold,  whose  deep  orange- 
coloured  flowers  give  forth  on  dry,  clear  evenings 
coruscations  of  mimic-lightning  which  plays  over 
the  petals. 

"Flowerlight"  may  easily  be  seen  by  any  one 
who  will  but  have  the  patience  to  wait  and  watch 


130    THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

for  it.  However,  all  do  not  see  it  equally  well, 
and  for  this  reason  many  claim  that  to  see  it  one 
must  be  possessed  of  abnormal  sight. 

But  these  strange  ideas  regarding  the  so-called 
"corpse-lights"  and  "will-of-the-wisps"  are  being 
fast  exploded  by  science.  Plants  have  a  way  of 
bottling  up  sunlight,  and  giving  it  forth  when  they 
desire;  this  phenomenon  is  well  understood.  The 
pokeweed  gives  forth  a  dark  greenish  lustre  in  the 
dark;  and  the  scarlet  poppy  emits  tiny  waves  of 
reddish  light  after  sundown. 

The  dainty  snowdrop  emanates  light  to  a  pro- 
nounced degree.  Its  drooping  white  blossoms  ap- 
pear almost  as  so  many  dim  electric  bulbs. 

On  the  western  plains  of  Texas  there  grows  an 
orange-yellow  flower  in  great  abundance,  which 
is  known  as  the  Alamo-weed.  This  plant  gives 
forth  a  very  strong  light,  a  steady  glow,  which  is 
evident  at  a  distance  during  the  hours  of  darkness. 
To  most  residents  of  the  temperate  and  torrid 
zones,  the  tiny  "lightning  bug"  is  a  familiar  sight 
on  summer  evenings;  and  on  the  Texas  plains, 
where  the  Alamo-weed  finds  its  home,  there  are 
great  quantities  of  these  phosphorescent  insects. 
During  the  daylight  hours  the  flowers  of  the 
Alamo-weed,  a  phosphorescent  plant,  are  thickly 
covered  with  apparently  slumbering  phosphores- 


PLANTS  THAT  PRODUCE  LIGHTS  131 

cent  lightning  bugs!  Whether  there  is  some  rela- 
tion of  source  and  supply  here — either  the  plant 
giving  of  its  phosphorescence  to  the  insect,  or  vice 
versa — or  whether  there  is  merely  an  attraction  of 
likes;  or  whether  there  is  indeed  any  connection 
between  the  kindred  powers  of  insect  and  plant,  and 
this  intimate  association,  is  a  question  that  yet  re- 
mains to  be  answered. 

When  the  Creator  made  light,  that  was  not 
enough ;  there  must  be  eyes  to  appreciate  this  light ; 
so  He  created  animals  with  eyes,  and  human  be- 
ings with  eyes,  and  lastly,  although  the  average 
person  knows  it  not,  plants  with  eyes,  that  they  too 
might  worship  this  great  work  of  their  Maker. 

The  number  of  plant  eyes  is  legion.  They  are 
usually  tiny  cells  located  in  the  epidermis  of  the 
leaves,  and  occasionally  on  the  leaf-stalk.  Numer- 
ous experiments  have  been  made  by  Dr.  Haber- 
landt  which  prove  conclusively  that  the  eyes  of 
many  species  of  plants  are  capable  of  detecting 
as  slight  shades  of  variation  in  light  as  are  those  of 
man.  This  is  amply  proved  by  the  fact  that  cer- 
tain plants,  like  the  vetch,  pea,  or  lentil,  may  be  so 
influenced  in  their  earliest  stages  of  growth  that 
they  deliberately  turn  toward  lights. 

The  scientific  world  now  thoroughly  recognises 
that  plants  have  eyes,  and  actually  see!  Not  only 


132  THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

do  they  respond  to  light,  but  they  give  every  other 
evidence  of  the  use  of  their  eyes  in  their  work. 

The  eyes  of  plants  are  of  two  distinct  kinds ;  one 
kind,  the  less  complex,  are  made  by  smooth  epider- 
mis, and  the  cells  have  a  plain  outer  covering. 
These  are  very  similar  to  a  glass  window  which  al- 
lows the  sun's  rays  to  pass  through,  and  fall  on  the 
objects  within  a  room,  but  in  no  way  aids  in  con- 
centrating the  rays  of  light  in  definite  places.  The 
other  kind  of  eyes  are  formed  of  papillose  epider- 
mis, whose  outer  and  inner  surfaces  are  so  made 
as  to  produce  plano-convex  lenses.  These  readily 
concentrate  the  rays  of  light  over  a  definite  area, 
and  in  this  respect  are  very  similar  to  human  eyes. 

In  the  study  of  light-producing  plant  types,  as 
in  the  understanding  of  all  types  and  classes  of 
plants,  the  average  botanist  has  but  knocked  at  the 
outer  door;  while  before  him  is  a  labyrinth  of  many 
doors  and  many  barriers.  Apparently  the  secret 
passage  to  the  centre  of  this  maze,  to  the  heart  of 
the  flowers,  lies  in  the,  attuning  of  the  human  na- 
ture to  the  nature  of  the  plants,  j  Science  tells  us 
much,  but  without  an  absolute  communion,  a  thor- 
ough accord  and  responsive  affinity  between  human 
soul  and  plant  soul  there  never  can  be  a  thorough 
understanding  of  the  nature  of  the  plants.  Ji 


i 


XV  \ 

PLANTS  THAT  CARRY  LIFE  INSURANCE          ^V 

N  the  plant  kingdom,  as  in  the  human,  the  idea 
of  preparing  for  a  rainy  day,  and  also  of  pro- 
viding for  the  protection  of  offspring,  has  led  to 
the  plants'  highest  and  noblest  development.  Men 
carry  life-insurance  policies  so  that  in  case  of  death 
their  families  will  be  protected,  and  their  children 
be  given  a  fair  chance  for  success  in  life.  Life 
insurance  with  them,  however,  is  of  comparatively 
recent  origin;  but  with  the  vegetable  kingdom  it  is 
not  so:  for  countless  centuries  the  plants  have  been 
familiar  with  all  forms  of  insurance.  It  is  by 
means  of  their  wonderful  experiences,  through  this 
long  period  of  ups  and  downs,  failures  and  suc- 
cesses— just  as  in  the  life  of  human  kind — that 
they  have  gained  their  remarkable  social  and  po- 
litical, as  well  as  religious  and  spiritual  understand- 
ing— underneath  all  of  which  there  must  be  a  divine 
wisdom  I 

Every  plant  at  its  death  leaves  a  legacy  to  its 
offspring.  This  legacy  is  usually  in  the  form  of 
133 


134    THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

nutriment  in  the  seed  or  bulb.  Some  of  these  lega- 
cies are  small,  others  are  large ;  in  other  words  some 
plants,  just  as  men,  carry  a  small  life  insurance, 
others  carry  a  large  one.  Most  nuts,  acorns,  beans, 
peas,  and  especially  large  fruits,  like  the  cocoanut, 
are  exceedingly  rich  in  food  material,  and  may  be 
said  to  have  received  a  large  legacy  from  the  par- 
ent plant.  On  the  other  hand,  such  plants  as  the 
mustards,  violets,  broom-rapes,  poppies,  verbenas, 
phlox,  orchids,  and  ladies'-tresses,  are  left  with  such 
a  small  quantity  of  nutriment  that  their  babies  must 
go  to  work  early  and  develop  chlorophyll  in  order 
to  produce  food  and  clothing  for  themselves.  Like 
the  child  of  the  poor  compared  to  the  child  of  the 
rich:  one  must  work  for  every  penny  it  gets,  the 
other  has  all  its  wants  supplied. 

Man  has  various  kinds  of  insurance  policies — 
life,  accident,  health,  and  even  those  against  old 
age  and  decreptitude ;  the  same  is  true  of  many 
plants. 

One  of  their  best  known  methods  of  insurance 
is  by  storing  away  food-material  in  the  basement,  or 
underground  bank;  that  is,  in  bulbs  and  roots. 
These  bulbs  are  not  really  all  roots,  but  some  parts 
of  them  are  buds  from  which  new  plants  will  spring 
when  given  a  suitable  opportunity.  Among  bulb- 
ous plants  are  tulips,  lilies,  dahlias,  and  many  com- 


PLANTS  CARRY  LIFE  INSURANCE  135 

mon  vegetables,  such  as  Irish  potatoes.  These  po- 
tatoes, if  cut  into  pieces,  without  having  their  "eyes" 
damaged,  and  placed  in  the  right  kind  of  soil  and 
climate,  will  soon  develop  into  new  potato  plants. 
Not  many  bulbous  plants  have  "eyes" :  that  is,  the 
places  from  which  the  new  plants  spring,  as  in  the 
potato;  but  those  that  do  not  usually  develop  sep- 
arate bulbils.  That  part  of  the  potato  other  than 
the  eyes  is  the  food  insurance  that  the  parent  potato 
has  stored  up  to  feed  the  new  plants  until  they  are 
able  to  get  nourishment  from  the  soil. 

Some  plants  protect  their  food  insurance  by 
burying  their  stems  underground;  the  stems  thus 
buried  are  known  as  rhizomes.  Solomon's  seal, 
sedges,  iris — all  these  bury  their  stems  under  the 
soil;  but  other  plants,  many  of  which  grow  in  the 
tropics,  like  tree-ferns,  owing  to  the  mild  climate  do 
not  need  to  conceal  themselves  from  the  inclement 
weather  by  burrowing  underground. 

In  bulbs  and  rootstalks  which  are  protected  un- 
derground, not  only  a  sufficient  quantity  of  food- 
material  is  saved  to  feed  the  plant,  but  often  enough 
is  contained  to  form  new  bulbils.  Especially  is 
this  true  of  lilies,  tulips,  dahlias,  crocuses,  and  hya- 
cinths. 

The  century-plant  of  the  western  plains  stores 
up  food  for  a  number  of  years,  preparatory  to  bios- 


136    THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

soming.  It  is  because  of  this  long  period  of  "an- 
nual payments,"  that  many  people  erroneously  be- 
lieve the  Agave,  as  it  is  botanically  known,  blos- 
soms only  once  in  a  century.  The  blossoms,  which 
really  appear  usually  about  once  in  fifteen  years, 
develop  very  rapidly,  and  thus  require  a  large 
quantity  of  ready  prepared  food-material.  As  the 
living  plant  benefits  by  this  foresight,  its  insur- 
ance might  be  classed  under  the  head  of  an  "endow- 
ment policy." 

Among  the  striking  illustrations  of  plants  that 
have  developed  life  insurance  to  an  art  none  are 
more  worthy  of  mention  than  the  cacti.  These 
giant  inhabitants  of  the  desert  regions  have  long 
ago  learned  the  value  not  only  of  saving  for  the 
rainy  day,  but  of  saving  on  the  rainy  day:  their 
"hay  day"  is  when  it  rains!  It  is  at  this  rare  time 
that  they  are  enabled  to  drink  up  a  sufficient  quan- 
tity of  water  to  fill  their  internal  sponges,  or  small 
cisterns,  and  thus  insure  themselves  against  the 
long-continued  drought  to  follow. 

These  cacti  have  become  very  strong  and  cour- 
ageous, for  they  have  fought  and  won  many  bat- 
tles. Their  spines  defend  them  from  grazing  ani- 
mals, and  their  bodies  have  become  so  shaped  as  to 
protect  them  from  too  much  sunshine,  which  might 
cause  their  carefully  stored  water  to  evaporate ;  thus 


PLANTS  CARRY  LIFE  INSURANCE  137 

they  are  well  prepared  to  exist  where  weaker  plants 
would  soon  perish.  Some  cacti  are  small  and  creep 
along  the  ground ;  others  are  giants  that  grow  to  a 
height  of  ninety  feet  in  their  native  soils.  The 
largest  of  the  entire  family  is  known  as  Cereus 
giganteus,  a  native  of  Mexico.  Small  specimens 
of  it  may  be  seen  in  hot-houses,  but  it  can  be  seen 
to  advantage  only  on  the  deserts  of  Mexico  or 
Arizona. 

The  sea-urchin  cacti  are  noted  for  their  fantas- 
tical shapes,  and  exquisitely  coloured  flowers.  Sec- 
ond only  to  the  orchids  for  beauty  and  form  are 
they  to  be  numbered.  If  it  were  not  for  their 
spiny  daggers,  their  flowers  would  stand  little 
chance  of  being  undisturbed. 

The  old-man  cactus  is  a  species  which  makes 
a  striking  appearance  in  a  flower  garden.  It  is 
covered  with  long,  silken,  white  hair,  resembling  the 
white  locks  of  an  old  man.  It  is  easily  grown 
from  the  smallest  cutting,  or  from  seeds. 

Perhaps  the  best  known  of  all  these  desert  plants 
is  the  Cereus  grandiflorus,  commonly  known  as  the 
night-blooming  cereus,  or  "Queen  of  the  night." 
It  yields  very  readily  to  cultivation;  and  owing  to 
its  exquisite  white  flowers  and  its  delightful  per- 
fume it  is  always  a  welcome  guest  where  grown. 
It  blossoms  only  at  night,  and  each  blossom  lasts 


138  THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

but  a  few  hours;  one  plant,  however,  may  have  a 
good  many  blossoms. 

Another  interesting  case  of  insurance  may  be 
found  in  the  formation  of  leaf -buds,  from  which 
new  leaves  are  developed.  These  leaf-buds  were 
carefully  prepared  long  before  the  preceding  sum- 
mer's leaves  had  fallen;  and  in  no  way  could  the 
plant  better  show  its  remarkable  forethought. 

In  bulbous  plants,  such  as  daffodils,  snowdrops, 
hyacinths,  and  lilies,  a  big  supply  of  food-material 
is  stored  away  for  future  use.  This  supply  has 
been  sa^ed  from  the  past  season's  earnings — an- 
other "endowment"  scheme. 

All  who  have  raised  hyacinths  in  a  bowl  of  water 
near  a  sunny  window  realise  that  all  the  plant  re- 
quires to  develop  green  leaves  and  marvellous  flow- 
ers, laden  with  perfume,  is  plenty  of  water  and 
light.  What  a  wonderful  transformation  takes 
place!  This  is  entirely  due  to  the  energy  of  the 
sun  converting  the  stored  material  of  the  bulb  into 
this  fantastical  and  glorious  blossom. 

Horticulturists  and  gardeners  have  learned  how 
to  cause  bulbs  of  lilies,  dahlias,  and  hyacinths  to 
store  up  an  abundance  of  food-material,  by  cut- 
ting down  the  plant  each  year  just  before  its  flow- 
er-buds appear.  This  enables  the  plant  to  store 
up  several  years'  savings,  and  as  a  result  when  it 


DAFFODILS.     Narcissus  telambnius  pttnus. 

Typical  of  the  bulbous  plants,  the  daffodils  store  away  a  big  supply  of 
food  material  for  future  use, 


PLANTS  CARRY  LIFE  INSURANCE  139 

is  allowed  to  blossom,  a  gorgeous  display  of  flowers 
is  the  reward. 

During  the  winter  season  most  plants  have  their 
vacations ;  this  period  is  spent  in  sleeping  and  rest- 
ing. But  even  while  they  are  resting,  plants  are 
not  idle,  for  a  great  preparation  for  their  early 
awakening  is  going  on.  The  skunk-cabbage  can 
hardly  wait  until  February  to  peep  up.  And  away 
under  the  snow  and  ice  the  trailing  arbutus  has 
already  put  forth  its  delicate,  pink  buds,  ready  at 
the  first  invitation  of  the  early  spring  sunshine  to 
burst  into  bloom.  The  glaucous  willow,  also,  is 
ready  to  reward  with  nectar  the  first  bee  that  ven- 
tures forth  in  the  early,  chill  winds;  and  even  the 
wake-robin  (Trillium  erectum),  with  its  disagree- 
able odour,  is  prepared  to  feast  the  first  flies  of 
the  season;  all  as  a  result  of  the  foresight  of  the 
parent  plant  in  preparing  for  their  early  appear- 
ance— in  other  words,  in  providing  insurance. 

Many  plants  use  colour  and  beauty  to  insure  their 
children  a  proper  location  in  life,  for  when  these 
children  once  choose  their  homes  and  become  estab- 
lished, they  rarely  change.  The  bright,  red  colour 
of  the  apple  attracts  birds,  animals,  and  human 
beings  to  it,  in  the  same  way  that  the  beautiful 
red  rose  attracts  insects  by  its  colour  and  fragrance; 
the  apple,  too,  has  a  wonderful  perfume,  as  do 


140    THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

most  other  fruits,  to  say  nothing  of  their  flavours 
and  sweet  juices.  These  qualities  make  the  fruit 
an  object  of  much  attraction,  and  cause  it  to  be 
sought  after;  while  the  seeds,  transported  with  the 
fruit,  are  protected  from  harm  by  hard  or  bitter 
coverings.  This  method  of  insurance  is  used  by 
various  kinds  of  berries  also,  and  by  haws,  grapes, 
and  figs. 

One  of  the  most  ingenious  ways  of  insuring  the 
welfare  of  the  offspring  is  used  by  certain  small 
plants,  which  actually  place  them  under  the.ground, 
or  hurl  them  away  to  places  of  safety. 

"With  fierce  distracted  eye  Impatiens  stands, 
Swells  her  pale  cheeks,  and  brandishes  her  hands, 
With  rage  and  hate  the  astonish'd  grove  alarms, 
And  hurls  her  infants  from  her  frantic  arms." 

Not  only  the  forget-me-not,  but  many  other 
plants  have  this  interesting  method  of  insuring  a 
proper  dispersal  of  their  fruit.  The  squirting  cu- 
cumber will  burst  open  with  the  slightest  touch  and 
spit  its  seeds  out  with  a  bang,  like  a  squirt-gun. 

The  common  peanut,  or  groundnut,  carefully 
buries  underground  its  fruit  pods,  or  nuts.  These 
peanuts  are  produced  from  simple  underground 
flowers,  and  the  parent  plant  has  buried  them  that 
they  may  escape  the  attention  of  enemies.  The 


PLANTS  CARRY  LIFE  INSURANCE  141 

plant  actually  buries  its  children,  before  they  are 
born! 

A  most  interesting  method  of  insurance  is  used 
by  pussy  willows.  In  the  very  early  spring,  the 
baby  catkins  are  covered  with  downy  hairs,  which 
keep  them  warm,  and  later  the  seeds  are  snugly 
wrapped  in  small  pods.  The  willow  takes  no  risks, 
and  its  children  stand  a  good  chance  of  success  in 
life. 

The  buttonwood,  unlike  many  trees  and  small 
plants  which  send  their  seed-babies  into  the  world 
in  the  autumn,  keeps  its  children  at  home,  attached 
to  the  parent  tree  by  means  of  slender  ropes  or 
cords.  These  seed-children  are  covered  with  soft, 
brown  hairs,  and  are  massed  together  in  round  balls ; 
and  all  through  the  long  winter  they  swing  to  and 
fro  in  the  wind,  rocking  like  babies  in  a  cradle, 
perfectly  protected  from  the  cold.  When  spring 
comes,  the  big  seed-pods  open,  and  away  go  the 
hundreds  of  seeds,  all  seeking  a  pleasant  place  to 
live. 

Plants  are  frequently  self -sacrificing.  The 
mother  plant  is  just  as  much  concerned  about  the 
welfare  of  her  offspring  as  are  human  mothers. 
Each  little  seed  goes  forth  into  the  big  world  care- 
fully prepared  to  begin  the  struggle  of  life  for 
itself. 


142    THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

Of  course  some  plant-children  are  better  insured 
than  others;  just  as  some  human  parents  leave  more 
insurance  to  their  children  than  do  others.  The 
plant  gives  each  seed  a  legacy  of  food-material, 
which  is  sufficient  for  it  to  begin  its  individual  life, 
with  only  the  aid  of  water  and  sunshine.  And  in 
what  way  is  the  close  relationship  between  plants 
and  animals,  and  even  human  beings,  more  clearly 
shown  than  in  this  wise  provision  of  life  insurance, 
which  is  characteristic  of  all? 


XVI 

PLANTS   THAT   KIDNAP 

PLANTS  actually  kidnap!  Some  are  worse 
than  highway  robbers,  allowing  their  captives 
to  die  in  confinement  or  killing  them  outright ;  oth- 
ers are  merely  selfish  and  desirous  of  enslaving  or 
using  their  prey  to  their  advantage  without  giving 
value  received.  It  is  one  of  the  strange  incon- 
sistencies of  nature — this  capturing  and  holding  of 
an  insect  by  a  plant  which  makes  a  victim  of  the 
friend  that  has  benefited  it.  As  most  of  the  kid- 
napping plants  receive  no  sustenance  from  the 
death  of  their  victims,  it  is  more  kind  to  suppose 
that  this  act  on  their  part  is  unavoidable. 

The  great  family  of  Orchids  claim  the  first  men- 
tion as  kidnappers.  Their  purpose  is  fertilisation, 
and  their  methods  are  many,  and  cunningly  de- 
vised; although  they  are  not  cruel,  for  they  release 
the  guest  as  soon  as  the  act  of  fertilisation  is  accom- 
plished. This  kidnapping  may  be  excused  when 
it  is  considered  that  without  the  aid  of  certain  in- 
sect "go-betweens"  many  species  of  orchids  would 
143 


144  THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

soon  become  extinct.  There  are,  however,  a  few 
species,  like  the  bee-orchid,  which  are  self -fertilised 
and  do  not  need  to  employ  such  cunning. 

The  cuckoo-pint  is  extremely  discourteous  to  her 
guests !  After  they  have  been  bidden  to  enter,  and 
are  once  inside,  they  go  to  the  dining-room,  or  lower 
chamber,  where  the  sweets  are  stored;  quickly  the 
flower  closes,  and  the  imprisoned  insect  is  not  per- 
mitted to  leave  until  the  pollen  from  the  male  flow- 
ers is  properly  distributed  to  the  female  flowers.  In 
this  plant  the  male  and  the  female  flowers  live  on 
the  same  stalk.  But  the  fertilisation  cannot  take 
place  without  the  aid  of  a  pollen-bearer,  and  the 
poor  trapped  insect  acts  as  the  needed  messenger. 
When  the  fertilisation  has  been  accomplished,  the 
flower  slowly  opens,  and  the  affronted  insect  de- 
parts. 

Not  the  least  curious  among  the  kidnappers,  and 
surely  the  most  cruel,  is  the  goose-plant.  This 
strange  plant  monstrosity  is  botanically  known  as 
Aristolochia  gigas,  and  its  native  home  is  Guate- 
mala. The  flower-bud  is  shaped  strikingly  like  a 
goose  swimming  in  water.  This  bud  is  usually 
about  fourteen  to  sixteen  inches  in  length,  and  when 
it  first  bursts  into  bloom,  the  curve,  representing 
the  breast  of  the  goose,  displays  the  most  exquisite 
velvety  linings  of  dark  purples  that  shade  into 


PLANTS  THAT  KIDNAP          145 

wine  colour.  The  full  blossom  is  not  unlike  a  kite 
in  shape,  with  a  tail  about  eighteen  inches  long. 

The  most  frequent  victims  of  the  goose-plant's 
diabolical  lures  are  flies  and  crawling  insects.  They 
are  attracted  by  the  seductive  odour  which  lures 
them  into  the  long  throat,  from  which  they  never 
escape.  There  is  a  deep,  slippery  lining  in  the 
throat,  and  the  way  in  is  very  easy;  but,  owing  to 
a  steeply  inclined  phalanx,  there  is  no  way  out ;  and 
the  deceived  insect,  after  having  distributed  the 
pollen  from  the  male  to  the  female  flower,  must  die 
a  hopeless  prisoner. 

A  cousin  to  the  goose-plant,  and  one  equally 
famed  for  its  kidnapping  proclivities,  is  the  Aris- 
tolochia  clematitis.  Its  deceived  prisoners  are  held 
sometimes  for  a  period  of  two  days ;  but  when  their 
work  is  done  they  are  set  free.  The  insect  enters 
through  a  narrow  tube  which  is  lined  with  tiny 
daggers  pointing  downward.  When  he  has  drunk 
his  fill  and  would  depart,  he  finds  the  passageway 
closed  by  the  impassable  row  of  sharp  points.  In 
captivity  he  must  remain  until  the  flower  is  ready 
for  his  services.  Finally  the  barrier  dries  up  and, 
shrinking,  gives  the  deluded  wanderer  a  chance  to 
escape. 

Another  Aristolochia  (A.  macropliylla) ,  com- 
monly known  as  the  pipe  vine  or  Dutchman's  pipe, 


146  THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

because  of  the  resemblance  of  the  long,  tubular 
flowers  to  the  bowl  of  a  pipe,  employs  the  same 
means  for  kidnapping  as  'does  its  cousin,  the 
clematitis.  The  bee  enters  the  narrow  opening  to 
the  flower,  finds  no  obstruction  to  prevent  his  push- 
ing his  way  along  the  inward  bending  hairs,  reaches 
and  sips  of  the  nectar,  turns — and  faces  a  phalanx 
of  dagger-like  points !  While  the  flower  holds  him 
prisoner,  he  is  not  starved,  for  there  is  an  abund- 
ance of  nectar  to  last  him  the  two  or  three  days 
that  he  must  remain  until  the  tiny  ovules  have  been 
fertilised,  the  pollen  has  ripened,  and  he  has  been 
well  powdered  with  the  golden  dust  that  he  is  to 
carry  to  the  next  flower  on  his  rounds.  Then,  and 
then  only,  the  dagger-hairs  wither  and  the  bee  is 
permitted  to  buzz  his  angry  way  out. 

The  Milkweed  family,  which  uses  insects  as  its 
means  of  fertilisation,  has  an  interesting  method 
of  catching  and  holding  its  guests.  In  certain  spe- 
cies, like  the  wavy-leafed  milkweed,  this  is  done  by 
means  of  adhesive  glands. 

The  moths  and  other  insects  which  visit  the 
Physianihus  albens,  a  vine-like  plant  of  New  Zeal- 
and, are  deliberately  gripped  by  its  deadly  anthers 
which  it  uses  as  jaws;  and  they  are  held  fast  until 
they  have  given  their  utmost  aid  toward  the  fer- 
tilisation of  the  flowers. 


PLANTS  THAT  KIDNAP          147 

Jack-in-the-Pulpit  appears  pious  enough  as  he 
stands  in  his  royal  ministerial  chamber  surrounded 
by  draperies  fit  for  a  king!  But  beware  of  him, 
for  he  is  a  hypocrite!  Like  the  wolf  in  sheep's 
clothing,  he  depends  upon  his  ministerial  robes  and 
his  respectable  relatives — for  he  is  a  cousin  to  the 
stately  calla  lily — to  disguise  the  innate  deceptive- 
ness  of  his  nature.  His  sanctimonious  smile  and 
his  dignified  appearance  are  only  lures  to  the  un- 
wary. If  he  preaches  to  any  flock,  it  is  to  the  dead 
and  decaying  insects  which  he  has  beguiled  into  his 
death-trap. 

Inside  the  palatial  walls  of  Jack's  pulpit  there 
is  a  slippery,  treacherous  lining.  When  gnats  and 
other  small  insects  enter  with  the  hope  of  finding 
shelter  and  food,  they  slide  easily  to  the  bottom, 
whence  escape  is  impossible.  Here  at  the  bottom 
of  the  pulpit  may  be  found  the  corpses  of  many 
wanderers — all  kidnapped  by  Rev.  Jack! 

Larger  insects  frequently  escape  from  this  lure 
and  thus  carry  the  pollen  to  other  plants,  but  no 
such  hope  can  be  oif  ered  to  the  smaller  ones.  Like 
the  weaker  human  beings,  they  must  finally  suc- 
cumb to  their  fate. 

The  fire-pink,  or  Virginia  catchfly,  has  been  well 
named.  Its  wonderful  scarlet  blossoms  seem  to 
fascinate  insects  by  their  fire-like  brilliancy.  This 


148  THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

open  woodland  flower  also  is  a  kidnapper ;  although 
it  is  not  one  of  the  worst  kind.  As  it  must  pro- 
tect its  flowers  from  pilfering  insects  that  crawl, 
the  flower-stems  are  covered  with  a  sticky  fluid,  and 
those  ants  which  persist  in  trying  to  ascend  the 
stalk  are  held  fast  by  the  glue  until  they  are  dead. 
A  case  of  slaughter,  but  in  self-defence. 

Another  member  of  the  Pink  family,  and  one 
equally  skilled  in  catching  insects,  is  the  starry 
campion.  In  the  tubes  of  its  snowy  white  flowers 
are  tiny  drops  of  honey  that  must  be  saved  to  re- 
ward the  flying  insects  which  carry  its  pollen. 
Therefore,  it  spreads  a  sticky  fluid  on  its  calyces, 
and  occasionally  on  its  pedicels,  to  catch  crawling 
intruders ;  and  in  this  way  it  entraps  the  would-be 
burglar. 

As  there  are  no  general  prisons  in  the  plant 
world,  each  individual  plant  is  compelled  to  hold 
and  imprison  its  own  enemies.  Thus  kidnapping  is 
really  forced  upon  them. 

The  common  or  card  teazel,  sometimes  known 
as  gypsy  combs,  has  learned  through  ages  of  ex- 
perience how  best  to  care  for  itself.  Not  only 
does  it  defend  itself  against  browsing  animals  by 
means  of  its  numerous  prickles;  but,  that  it  may 
be  sure  of  enough  food,  it  has  learned  to  kidnap 
insects.  This  is  done  in  a  most  novel  manner.  The 


JACK-IN-THE-PULPIT.    Ariscema  triphyllum. 
This  flower,  loved  of  all  childhood,  is  a  shameless  kidnapper. 


STARRY   CAMPION.     Silene  stellata. 


One  of  'the  many  kidnapping  plants  which   catch  insects  by  means  of  a 
sticky  fluid  with  which  the 


they  cover  their  stalks. 


PLANTS  THAT  KIDNAP  149 

lower  part  of  the  upper  leaves  form  themselves 
together  so  as  to  make  a  small  cistern.  Fluid, 
supposedly  water  or  dew,  gathers  in  the  cistern,  and 
here  numerous  tiny  insects  find  a  watery  grave. 
The  poor  creatures  walk  in,  are  unable  to  escape, 
and  so,  after  vain  attempts  to  get  out,  fall  ex- 
hausted into  the  fatal  tank. 

The  teazel  is  not  dependent  upon  insects  for  its 
food;  but  it  is  becoming  more  and  more  an  insect- 
eater.  No  doubt,  in  the  distant  future  it  will 
depend  entirely  on  a  carnivorous  diet.  At  present 
it  does  not  digest  its  prey,  but  only  absorbs,  in  the 
form  of  liquid,  the  products  of  the  decayed  bodies 
of  its  kidnapped  victims. 

Not  the  least  among  the  kidnappers  are  the  Rho- 
dodendrons. Who  would  ever  suspect  them  of  such 
deeds?  Yet  it  is  true;  and  their  wonderful  clus- 
ters of  rosy  pink  blossoms  are  carefully  protected 
from  crawling  insects  by  the  plant's  skillful  method 
of  spreading  glue  near  the  base  of  the  flowers. 
This  glue  catches  and  holds  all  creeping  intruders. 
But  the  Rhododendrons  kidnap  only  in  self-defence 
and  must  not,  therefore,  be  placed  among  the 
criminal  plants.  The  mountains  in  parts  of  Penn- 
sylvania, especially  in  the  Alleghanies,  are  literally 
covered  with  Rhododendrons.  Few  flowers  are 
more  beautiful.  One  is  silenced  in  their  presence 


150  THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

by  their  rich,  massive  beauty.  Surely  their  insect- 
catching  is  justified;  for  they  are  fertilised  only  by 
flying  insects,  and  they  must  protect  the  honey 
which  is  to  pay  the  bees  and  the  butterflies  for  their 
labour. 

Indeed,  there  is  generally  a  cause  which  should 
at  least  partially  excuse  the  questionable  actions  of 
plants.  With  most  kidnapping  plants  the  act  is  one 
of  self-defence;  and  surely  self-preservation  is  the 
first  right  of  every  living  thing!  True,  Venus's 
fly-trap,  the  sundews,  and  others,  do  lure  their  prey 
that  the  insects  may  be  killed  and  eaten  by  the  vora- 
cious plants;  but  in  spite  of  these  far  from  admi- 
rable habits  there  are  many  beautiful  characteristics 
which  are  always  evident  in  plants  that  kidnap. 


XVII 

PLANTS  THAT  ENTERTAIN 


But  'tis  the  greater  art,  to  entertain! 

— RAYMOND  COMSTOCK. 


CIVILISED    flowers    make    good    hostesses. 
Not  only  do  they  decorate  their  houses  in 
gorgeous  colours,  perfume  the  palatial  inner  walls, 
and  powder  their  pretty  faces  with  golden  pollen, 
but,  also,  accepting  as  a  proverb  the  couplet, 

"No  man  hath  entertained  his  best, 
Till  bread  be  broken  with  his  guest/' 

they  actually  prepare  inviting  feasts  for  their  insect 
guests.  These  feasts  are,  however,  really  in  the 
nature  of  fees,  and  are  given  to  the  guest  to  pay 
him  for  carrying  pollen  to  another  plant. 

One  thing  the  plant  must  be  most  careful  to 
avoid :  that  is,  not  to  feed  the  guest  too  much,  nor 
even  to  satisfy  his  appetite,  as  he  might  then  not 
call  upon  another  flower. 

All  flowers  are  not  considerate  of  their  guests. 
Some  hostesses  have  the  discourtesy  actually  to 
151 


152  THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

break  their  petals  when  a  bee  or  a  butterfly  alights 
upon  them.  This  lack  of  hospitality  is  accorded 
by  the  hemlock  stork's-bill. 

Perhaps  of  all  plant-hostesses  the  yucca  stands 
first.  The  yucca  is  not  unselfish  in  her  elegant 
manner  of  entertaining ;  neither  is  she  unwise.  She 
is  well  repaid  for  all  her  trouble  in  entertaining  her 
guests — she  has  but  one  kind,  the  yucca-moth. 

The  yucca  and  her  guest  are  inseparable:  where 
one  is  found,  there  also  is  the  other.  Examine 
the  yucca  blossom  and  you  will  always  find  in  it 
the  delicate,  fairy-like  guest,  draped  in  her 
strangely  beautiful  white  costume.  If  it  is  day- 
time, the  guest  will  be  resting  with  folded  wings, 
waiting  for  the  busy  night  hours ;  for  then  she  has 
work  to  perform. 

The  male  yucca-moths  are  seen  more  often  than 
the  females.  They  flit  from  flower  to  flower  in  the 
evening,  gathering  pollen  and  looking  after  out- 
side affairs  in  general,  while  their  mates  are  busily 
engaged  in  the  flowers.  The  female  moth  has  no 
time  for  visiting  among  her  neighbours,  for  she 
must  constantly  attend  to  her  household  duties.  She 
must  prove  a  satisfactory  guest,  reciprocating  the 
generosity  of  the  plant,  which  produces  food  for  her 
offspring,,  This  the  moth  does  by  gathering  to- 
gether large  balls  of  pollen,  packing  and  rolling  it 


PLANTS   THAT  ENTERTAIN       153 

with  great  care.    In  and  out  among  the  flower  she 
crawls  and  flits,  scraping  a  bit  of  pollen  from  this 


anther  and  a  bit  from  that.  Finally,  when  enough 
pollen  has  been  gathered  to  form  a  ball  twice  the  size 
of  her  head,  she  carries  it  to  another  flower.  In  the 


pistil  of  the  new  flower  she  darts  her  ovipositor, 

making  a  tiny  nest  in  the  soft  tissue,  where  she 

imbeds  her  first  egg.     Her  next  move  is  to  mount 

to  the  top  of  the  style  and  place  the  ball  of  pollen 

on  the  stigma,  forcing  it  down  into  the  tube,  that 

it  may  serve  as  a  cover  and  protector  for  her  egg. 

Incidentally,  both  egg  and  pollen  reach  the  ovary 

of  the  flower,  thus  fertilising  it.     Sometimes  the 

moth  deposits  more  than  one  egg  in  a  pistil,  but  ft  ^  (\^ 

each  egg  is  placed  in  a  different  part,  and  a  fresh 

act  of  pollination  follows;  as  if  she  were  making   v 

payment  in  advance  for  the  care  which  the  yucca 

is  to  give  to  each  of  her  babies. 

This  is  a  case  of  exchange — one  of  the  multitude 
of  instances  that  are  found  occurring  between  mem-^ 
bers  of  the  plant  and  the  insect  kingdoms.     The  '• 
yucca  nourishes  and  cares  for  the  family  that  il£t*^F 
entertains :  the  moth  fertilises  its  generous  hostess. 

When  the  moth's  egg  finally  hatches,  the  larva 
finds  itself  in  a  very  "garden  of  paradise."    Here  "O  <*- 
it  feasts  on  the  delicate  tissue  of  the  plant  until  the 
plant's  own  seeds  are  ripe,  when  the  larva,  bores 


154  THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

its  way  out  and  crawls  to  the  earth,  living  there  in 
the  form  of  a  chrysalis  until  its  resurrection  as  a 
full-fledged  yucca-moth. 

Most  plants  are  honest.  Even  the  kidnappers 
offer  some  reward,  at  least  a  temporary  one,  to 
the  insects  they  deceive ;  but  there  are  a  few  plants 
with  showy  blossoms,  like  the  Grass  of  Parnassus, 
which  employ  the  services  of  insects  without  giving 
any  remuneration.  In  their  flaring  costumes  and 
their  unlovely  habits  they  are  remarkably  analogous 
to  the  flashily  clothed  "confidence  man"  whom  the 
human  race  endures. 

These  plants  are  deceptive.  In  the  centre  of  each 
of  their  blossoms  they  create  the  peculiar  illusion  of 
a  drop  of  honey — the  plant's  "gold  brick."  This 
is  done  by  means  of  tiny  hairs  skillfully  arranged 
around  a  shiny  knob,  appearing  for  all  the  world 
like  an  honest  drop  of  pure  honey.  Numerous  in- 
sects, seeing  what  they  believe  to  be  glistening  nec- 
tar, visit  the  hypocrites  in  the  belief  that  they  will 
receive  a  delicious  meal.  They  leave  without  the 
honey,  poor  things;  but  the  plant  has  attained  its 
end,  for  each  insect  carries  away,  unintentionally,  a 
good  supply  of  pollen.  Forgetting  the  flower's  de- 
ceit, or  hoping  that  the  next  flower  might  be  more 
honest,  the  still-hungry  guest  calls  immediately 
upon  another  blossom  that  has  its  glistening  lure. 


YUCCA.     Yucca  filamentosa. 
A  plant  which  entertains  both  systematically  and  profitably. 


PLANTS  THAT  ENTERTAIN      155 


While  he  is  being  undeceived,  the  stigma  manages 
to  get  from  him  a  sufficient  amount  of  pollen,  and 
the  waiting  anthers  shower  him  with  a  fresh 
supply. 

Among  plant-hostesses  perhaps  none  has  a  more 
unique  guest  than  the  marsh-marigold,  often  known 
as  the  American  cowslip.  The  marsh-marigold  is 
not  a  true  marigold,  nor  is  it  a  real  cowslip;  but 
these  are  the  common  names  for  this  early  spring 
flower  with  its  striking  yellow  varnish  and  its  fat 
stalk — a  favourite  among  the  flies  and  insects. 

Its  beauty  is  unrivalled  among  the  early  yellow 
flowers ;  but  that  is  not  its  only  claim  to  notice.  It 
also  entertains.  And  its  guest  is  a  musician !  This 
mite  of  a  musician  is  a  tiny  green  frog,  which  sits 
on  the  leaf  of  the  marigold.  He  is  small — not 
more  than  three-fourths  of  an  inch  long — but  his 
voice  is  marvellously  shrill.  His  concert  hour  is 
four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  He  is  not  always 
punctual;  but  generally  at  about  this  hour  he  may 
be  seen  creeping  along  the  leaves  of  the  marigold 
— his  name  is  "Spring-creeper" — and  occasionally 
stopping  to  sing  in  his  high  tenor  voice,  with  its 
shrill  tone  in  E  flat  of  the  highest  octave  on  the 
piano. 

Why  the  plant  entertains  this  tiny  frog,  no  one 
knows.  Perhaps  for  the  same  reason  that  people 


156  THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

keep  canary  birds!  Or  perhaps  he  is  the  green- 
|c  uniformed  guard  who  defends  the  marigold's  pollen 
stores  from  creeping  insects!  Certainly  the  plant 
does  her  duty  as  hostess  in  providing  him  with  a 
dainty  chamber  and  a  choice  supply  of  food  in  the 
form  of  tiny  gnats  and  other  insects  which  she 
ures  to  her  yellow  palace. 

This  is  one  of  the  most  unique  of  the  many  in- 
stances in  which  plants  act  as  hostesses.  One  can 
understand,  and  commend,  the  wisdom  of  those 
plants  which  entertain  for  purposes  of  material 
gain,  or  for  services  rendered;  but  some  plants  are 
seemingly  extravagant  enough  to  give  of  their 
hospitality  purely  for  the  entertainment  which  the 
guest  affords  his  hostess! 


I 


XVIII 

PLANTS   THAT   GO   TO    SLEEP 

PLANTS  require  their  sleep  no  less  than  do 
animals  or  people. 

What  a  fantastic  fairyland  is  a  garden  at  night ! 
Here  we  find  many  sleepy  heads  all  so  quiet  and 
drooping  that  one  wonders  whether  strange  dreams 
I    may  be  forming  in  their  plant  minds.     Perhaps 
\  they  are!    Some  flowers,  like  the  evening-primrose, 
the   datura,   the  night-blooming  cereus,   and  the 
moonflower,  are  open  only  at  night.    What  a  con- 
trast between  these  wide-awake  faces  and  the  nu- 
merous sleepy  ones!    The  leaves  of  the  acacia,  the 
lupin,  and  the  clover,  are  so  tightly  closed  that  one 
is  reminded  of  the  wings  of  butterflies  folded  to- 
gether.   Perhaps  they  are  giving  a  "fairy-bed"  to 
some  poor,  way-faring  bee  or  moth!    Look  at  the 
nodding  nasturtiums  bending  their  leaves  as  they 
bid  us  walk  lightly  lest  we  disturb  their  slumber! 
The  sleep  of  plants  is  not  the  least  interesting  of 
the  habits  of  these  remarkably  human-like  things. 
The  leaves  of  a  plant  such  as  the  clover,  formed  of 
157 


158  THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

a  number  of  leaflets,  will  fold  up  not  only  in  the 
night  but  even  in  the  daytime  if  the  light  becomes 
too  strong. 

Plants  usually  have  certain  times  for  sleeping; 
but,  like  people,  this  is  mostly  habit  with  them 
and  they  may  be  made  to  change  their  sleeping 
hours  by  artificial  darkness  or  ligKl.  With  the  ex- 
ception of  the  night-bloomers,  which,  like  the  owl 
and  other  night  birds,  have  their  own  reason  for 
preferring  darkness,  most  plants  like  to  be  awake 
in  the  daylight,  and  to  go  to  sleep  only  when  the 
sun  has  gone  and  darkness  has  settled  down  and 
their  own  special  bee- friends  are  dozing  away  with 
folded  wings  to  awTait  the  dawn. 

But  plants,  like  chickens,  may  be  fooled  by  arti- 
ficial darkness.  It  has  been  observed  that  often 
during  an  eclipse  of  the  sun,  certain  plants,  like 
the  pheasant's-eye,  would  mistake  the  darkness  for 
that  of  night  and  rapidly  close  their  flowers  and 
leaves  in  sleep. 

Some  most  interesting  experiments  have  been 
made  with  a  sensitive-plant,  mimosa.  At  night  its 
sleep  was  disturbed  by  the  presence  of  a  bright 
light,  and  during  the  day  it  was  placed  in  a  dark- 
ened room.  As  a  result  the  plant  was  much  trou- 
bled; it  acted  like  a  disturbed  bird  or  animal.  It 
opened  and  closed  irregularly  for  some  time,  but 


PLANTS  THAT  GO  TO  SLEEP    159 

finally  submitted  to  its  unnatural  method  of  liv- 
ing, and,  like  some  people,  "turned  night  into  day." 

Single  plants,  when  observed  at  night,  do  not 
present  the  sleeping  appearance  so  strikingly  as 
when  grouped  together  in  beds.  Professor  Lind- 
ley  says:  "Plants  of  corn,  in  which  there  is  very 
little  indication  of  sleep  when  growing  singly,  ex- 
hibit this  phenomenon  very  distinctly  when  observed 
in  masses;  their  leaves  becoming  flaccid,  and  their 
ears  drooping  at  night." 

This  regular  sleeping  and  waking  of  plants  has 
occupied  the  attention  of  such  distinguished  men 
as  Linnams  and  Darwin;  Chaucer  and  Shakespeare 
have  spoken  of  it ;  and  it  has  been  observed  by  many 
others.  Linnseus  was  led  into  making  a  series  of 
investigations  through  a  peculiar  circumstance 
which  Ann  Pratt  has  interestingly  described: 

"A  friend  had  sent  him  some  seeds  of  a  species 
of  lotus.  The  red  flowers  which  sprung  from  them 
excited  his  admiration,  and  as  his  gardener  was  ab- 
sent when  they  came  in  bloom,  Linnseus,  immedi- 
ately upon  his  return,  took  him  to  the  greenhouse 
to  see  this  new  floral  treasure.  It  was  evening, 
and  with  a  lantern  they  proceeded  to  the  spot;  but 
what  was  the  surprise  and  vexation  of  Linnaeus 
at  finding  that  his  beautiful  blossoms  had  quite 
disappeared!  He  concluded  that  they  had  been 


160  THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

eaten  by  insects;  but  on  returning  the  next  morn- 
ing to  his  greenhouse,  he  saw  them  in  their  full 
beauty  upon  the  same  part  of  the  plant  on  which 
he  had  left  them  the  preceding  day.  Again  in  the 
evening  he  accompanied  his  gardener  to  visit  the 
plants,  and  again  the  flowers  were  gone,  while  the 
next  morning  once  more  exhibited  them  in  full 
glory.  His  gardener  declared  that  his  master  must 
have  been  mistaken,  and  that  these  could  not  be 
the  same  flowers,  but  must  be  fresh  blossoms.  Lin- 
nseus  was  too  much  of  a  philosopher  to  be  satisfied 
with  such  an  idle  conclusion,  and  in  the  evening  he 
examined  the  plant,  carefully  taking  it  up  leaf  by 
leaf,  until  he  discovered  that  the  blossoms  had  been 
quite  hidden  by  the  drooping  foliage.  This  lotus 
is  a  butterfly-shaped  flower;  and  he  found,  upon 
looking  farther,  that  the  lupins,  the  garden  acacias, 
peas,  and  many  more  flowers  similarly  shaped,  were 
affected  in  nearly  the  same  way  by  the  influence 
of  night." 

However,  plants  fold  their  leaves  and  flowers  for 
other  causes  than  darkness.  The  opening  and  clos- 
ing of  certain  flowers  is  not  influenced  to  any  large 
extent  by  light  and  darkness,  as  they  wake  and 
sleep  irrespective  of  the  sun.  This  habit  of  sleeping 
at  different  times  of  the  day  is  one  of  the  strangest 
things  in  regard  to  the  sleeping  habits  of  plants. 


NIGHT-BLOOMIXG    CEREUS.     Cereus  grandlflorus. 

Having  slept  all  day,  the  flowers  open  at  nightfall,  and  by  their  powerful 

perfume  attract  insects  from  far  and  near. 


JIMSON-WEED.     Datura  Stramonium. 

It  is  difficult  to  get  a  photograph  of  these  blossoms  because  they  open  only 
at  night-time.    When  morning  approaches  they  close  up  in  sleep. 


PLANTS  THAT  GO  TO  SLEEP    161 

The  goafs-beard,  sometimes  known  as  "Go-to-bed- 
at-noon,"  is  so  named  on  acount  of  its  strange 
custom  of  closing  at  that  hour.  The  crocus  often 
closes  up  by  noontime;  and  the  oxalis  will  fall  to 
sleep,  like  a  tired  child,  at  various  times  of  the  day, 
especially  if  the  sun  is  shining  on  it;  while  other 
plants,  like  the  moonflower,  the  datura,  and  the 
night-blooming  cereus,  sleep  practically  through- 
out the  entire  day  and  come  forth  at  night  in  all 
their  beauty ! 

These  habits  of  opening  and  closing  at  different 
times  of  the  day  and  night  are  not  only  a  protec- 
tion against  cold  and  heat,  but  also  an  assurance 
that  the  plant  will  be  ready  to  receive  its  welcome 
guest,  the  pollen-bearing  insect,  whether  he  be  a 
toiler  of  the  night  or  of  the  day;  for  instance,  the 
datura  is  visited  only  by  insects  of  the  night,  and 
if,  for  any  reason,  it  opened  its  blossoms  in  the 
day,  it  would  possibly  be  neglected,  and  its  flowers 
left  unfertilised. 

But  plants  require  not  only  their  daily  sleep  and 
rest;  they  must  have  longer  periods  of  undisturbed 
quietude;  in  other  words,  they  require  vacations. 
So  plants  hibernate,  just  as  the  chipmunk,  the  clever 
arctic  fox,  and  the  arctic  bear  hibernate  when  the 
cold  weather  approaches.  And  they  are  quite  as 
cunning  and  ingenious  in  providing  for  themselves 


162  THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

as  were  those  clever  arctic  foxes  spoken  of  by  the 
Danish  travellers  as  being  particularly  fond  of 
the  eider-duck's  eggs  and  having  to  devise  the  trick 
of  reaching  the  almost  inaccessible  nests  where  they 
are  located  on  the  steep  sides  of  high  cliffs,  by  tak- 
ing one  another's  tails  in  their  mouths,  and  thus 
forming  a  string,  similar  to  a  "human  chain,"  of 
sufficient  length  to  reach  the  eggs,  and  then  letting 
one  end  down  over  the  cliff.  We  are  not  told, 
however,  how  these  eggs  were  passed  up  by  the 
crafty  foxes! 

Plants  are  no  less  capable  in  acquiring  their  ne- 
cessities, though  much  of  their  cleverness  is  hidden 
from  us.  It  is  well  known,  however,  that  when 
they  hibernate  they  suspend  practically  all  natural 
functions,  and  the  long  sleep  is  broken  only  by 
the  approach  of  spring.  This  period  of  slumber 
is  the  time  when  the  plant  is  inwardly  preparing 
for  the  oncoming  season. 

But  this  sleep  is  not  for  long.  When  the  snow 
disappears,  note  the  marvellous  change!  It  is  al- 
most a  re-creative  awakening.  Even  when  there 
may  be  still  many  days  of  cold  and  frost  ahead, 
those  trees  whose  habit  it  is  to  flower  early  begin 
to  put  forth  their  first  young  buds.  But  should  a 
mild  period  occur  in  December,  there  are  no  signs 
of  awakening  in  these  trees.  Either,  it  seems,  the 


PLANTS  THAT  GO  TO  SLEEP    163 

trees  are  not  yet  sufficiently  rested  to  arouse  them- 
selves to  a  new  season  of  work;  or  waking,  they 
realise  that  it  is  but  an  imitation  of  spring.  Can 
they  then  tell  the  difference  between  time  and  time? 

Warmer  temperature  alone  does  not  make  plants 
awake.  Take  the  instance  of  the  snowdrop:  In 
the  bulb  of  the  snowdrop  are  the  rudiments  of  its 
flowers  and  leaves ;  force  the  bloom  of  the  plant,  by 
means  of  artificial  heat,  in  December,  and  the  re- 
sult is  a  weak,  sickly  flower:  the  plant  has  not  had 
sufficient  sleep  to  regain  the  strength  spent  during 
the  preceding  season.  But  leave  the  snowdrop  to 
slumber  on,  as  is  its  habit ;  in  January  or  February, 
whether  the  temperature  be  mild  or  just  above  the 
freezing-point,  the  plant  is  rested,  and  the  fresh 
flowers  appear! 

Plants  seem  to  understand  just  when  it  is  neces- 
sary for  them  to  close  up  and  take  a  vacation. 
Those  which  live  in  ponds  dry  up  and  sink  to  the 
bottom  of  the  water  for  rest ;  those  on  the  hot,  dry 
deserts  fold  their  arms  and  go  to  sleep,  like  the 
Rose  of  Jericho;  but  all  of  these,  with  a  seeming 
appreciation  of  periods  of  time,  are  ready  to  come 
forth  when  the  season  is  ready  for  them  and  when 
their  plant-instinct  tells  them  that  outside  condi- 
tions will  permit  them  to  bloom  with  safety. 

All  seeds,  bulbs,  and  tubers,  as  well  as  growing 


164  THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

plants,  require  sleep  before  they  grow  and  blossom. 
And  the  more  highly  developed  the  plant,  the  more 
sleep  it  requires  before  coming  forth.  The  small 
shrub  does  not  need  as  much  rest  as  the  giant 
trees  of  the  California  forests.  Think  of  the  tre- 
mendous amount  of  work  to  supply  food  materials 
to  the  millions  of  delicate  leaves  of  the  upper 
branches  of  a  gigantic  redwood,  towering  over 
three  hundred  feet  in  the  air !  Even  the  evergreens, 
such  as  the  pines  and  cedars,  which  seem  to  work 
all  the  year  round,  have  their  times  for  rest  and 
recuperation. 

In  this  habit  of  vacational  rests  and  regular 
sleep,  plant  life  shows  but  another  of  its  human 
traits.  From  the  most  lowly  to  the  most  mighty, 
all  plants  wake  and  slumber,  slumber  and  wake, 
with  methodical  regularity,  in  response  to  the  de- 
mands of  nature. 


XIX 

PLANTS  THAT  HIDE  THEIR  BLOSSOMS  AND  THEIE 
FRUIT  UNDERGROUND 

NATURE  has  many  ways  and  means  of  caring 
for  the  propagation  of  her  children,  and  to 
her  the  humblest  are  as  important  as  the  more  fa- 
voured. A  very  large  percentage  of  plants  repro- 
duce by  means  of  seeds;  and  there  are  almost  as 
many  ways  of  distribution  as  there  are  kinds  of 
seeds:  some  roll,  tumble,  hop,  dance,  fly,  swim,  or 
crawl;  others  jump,  dive,  canoe,  skate,  or  shoot; 
again,  others  prefer  riding  on  animals  and  human 
beings  I 

But  practically  all  of  these  are  plants  that  have 
their  fruits  and  flowers  above  ground.  There  are, 
however,  some  plants  which  are  far  too  wise  to  risk 
exposing  all  their  flowers  or  fruit  above  the  earth, 
so  they  secretly  hide  at  least  part  of  their  flowers, 
and  all  of  their  fruit,  under  the  soil. 

One  of  the  commonest  of  these  is  the  well-known 
peanut,  or  groundnut.  This  interesting,  clover- 
like  plant  belongs  to  the  bean  family,  Leguminosae ; 
165 


166  THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

it  is  a  native  of  America,  and  is  extensively  culti- 
vated in  the  southern  and  southeastern  United 
States  and  in  many  parts  of  the  Old  World,  to 
which  it  has  been  introduced.  Its  bean-like  fruits 
not  only  are  edible  but  are  deliciously  flavoured  and 
very  nutritious.  Being  rich  in  fat,  they  produce 
large  quantities  of  oil.  This  oil  is  used  for  adul- 
terating olive  oil,  for  making  soap,  for  lubricating, 
and  for  various  other  purposes. 

The  leaves  of  the  peanut  are  arranged  similarly 
to  those  of  clover,  except  that  there  are  four  in  a 
group  instead  of  three.  The  blossoms  are  a  dainty 
yellow,  in  shape  not  unlike  the  sweet-pea.  When 
they  have  withered  and  fallen  off,  the  stalk  which 
held  the  flower  bends  its  head  down  to  the  ground 
and  pokes  its  nose  into  the  earth  to  a  depth  of  three 
or  four  inches.  There,  well  protected  from  outside 
marauders,  the  seed  pods  develop.  In  this  way  the 
plant  escapes  many  enemies  common  to  other 
plants,  yet  unfortunately  it  has  its  own  enemies 
among  such  animals  as  hogs  and  ground-moles. 

The  peanut  has  a  near  relative,  the  wild  bean,  or 
hog-peanut,  whose  blossoms  are  purple,  and  grow 
in  clusters.  The  leaves  are  similar  to  the  poison 
ivy;  and  the  interesting  thing  about  this  plant  is 
that  it  not  only  develops  underground  "peanuts," 
but  has  also  a  crop  of  small  beans  dangling  from 


COMMON    THISTLE.     Cirsium  lanceolatum. 

The  insect  "go-betweens"  are  rewarded  with  a  honey  which  is  so  sweet  that 
it  often  intoxicates  them. 


PLANTS  HIDE  THEIR  BLOSSOMS  167 

its  stems  above  the  ground.  These  beans  act  as  a 
double  insurance  for  the  plant's  perpetuation. 
They  are  grown  in  pods,  and  when  the  pods  are 
ripe  the  seeds  are  hurled  away,  thus  insuring  a 
wide  distribution;  while  at  the  same  time  the  wise 
plant  has  stored  the  underground  peanuts  to  insure 
the  next  year's  crop  in  the  immediate  vicinity. 
These  underground  peanuts  have  been  provided  by 
unique  subterranean  flowers. 

Still  another  relative  of  the  peanut  which  uses 
this  unusual  method  of  hiding  its  seeds  in  the 
ground  is  the  IFoandzeia  mbterranea,  commonly 
known  as  "the  underground  bean  of  Madagascar." 
This  interesting  plant  belongs  to  the  bean  family, 
and  is  cultivated  in  many  parts  of  America,  and 
in  West  Africa,  whence  it  originally  came. 

A  few  of  the  violets,  like  the  sweet  violet  (Viola 
odorata),  have  adopted  the  wise  plan  of  hiding 
some  of  their  lower  flowers  under  the  earth,  thus 
taking  no  undue  risk  of  not  having  their  seeds 
properly  sown.  These  underground  flowers  never 
entirely  open,  yet  most  of  them  produce  seeds. 

The  Fringed  Polygala  (Polygala  paucifolia) 
flaunts  above  ground  orchid-like  blossoms  of  a  bril- 
liant rose-pink  color ;  while  partly  or  entirely  under 
the  ground  it  has  a  cluster  of  small,  insignificant- 
looking  flowers  which  never  open  their  petals.  It 


168  THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

is  these  small  flowers,  hidden  underground,  which 
insure  the  propagation  of  the  plant.  They  are  self- 
fertilised,  and  so  are  not  dependent  upon  either 
wind  or  insect  for  the  distribution  of  the  pollen. 

The  Poly  gala  is  a  sociable  plant,  being,  however, 
somewhat  clannish,  for  it  usually  grows  with  a 
number  of  its  own  kind  gathered  around  it. 

The  stem  creeps  underground,  and  perhaps  this 
has  given  the  Polygala  its  other  name — flowering 
wintergreen — because  of  the  creeping  habit,  and 
of  the  resemblance  of  the  leaves  to  those  of  the 
real  wintergreen.  Like  the  wintergreen,  too,  it 
loves  the  deep  woods,  and  is  often  found  nestling  at 
the  feet  of  great  oak  trees,  pines,  or  hickories. 

Tulips,  daffodils,  crocuses,  hyacinths,  and  nu- 
merous lilies,  to  say  nothing  of  the  common  vege- 
tables, such  as  potatoes,  and  onions,  afford  good 
examples  of  plants  whose  fruit  is  hidden  safely 
underground.  The  onion,  however,  also  produces 
seeds  above  ground. 

Not  the  least  interesting  among  the  ingenious 
methods  used  by  plants  in  hiding  their  seeds  is 
that  followed  by  certain  grasses,  such  as  the  Stipa 
yennata,  whose  auger-like  fruits  bore  themselves 
into  the  earth  by  a  winding  motion,  which  stops 
only  when  the  seeds  are  well  hidden  underground. 

The  cyclamen,  or,  as  the  old-time  botanists  called 


PLANTS  HIDE  THEIR  BLOSSOMS  169 

it,  "sow-bread,"  is  another  plant  which  buries  its 
seeds.  When  they  are  ripening,  the  flower-stalk 
gradually  twists  itself  spirally  toward  the  earth, 
and  here  it  forces  itself  into  the  ground,  hiding  its 
precious  seeds  from  the  ravages  of  birds  and  ani- 
mals. Some  botanists  believe  that  these  seeds 
actually  receive  nourishment  from  the  roots  of  the 
plant,  as  they  seem  to  grow  in  no  other  situation. 
"The  wallflower,  the  wallflower, 

How  beautiful  it  blooms ! 
It    gleams    above    the    ruined    tower, 

Like  sunlight  over  tombs; 
It  sheds  a  halo  of  repose 

Around  the  wrecks  of  time — 
To  beauty  give  the  flaunting  rose, 
The  wallflower  is  sublime." 

A  most  important  wall-creeper,  Linaria  cym- 
balaria,  hides  its  seeds — but  not  underground. 
This  interesting  wallflower,  known  as  Kenilworth 
ivy,  or  ivy-leafed  toad-flax,  has  a  delicate  fragrance 
making  it  doubly  welcome  as  a  guest  on  neglected 
walls.  It  grows  on  old,  decayed,  stony  walls, 
usually  where  there  is  considerable  moisture,  and 
its  small,  worm-like  stalks  twist  their  tiny  seed-pods 
into  the  little  holes  and  crevices  in  the  wall.  Here, 
when  the  seeds  are  ripe,  the  pods  burst  open  and 
plant  them.  In  this  way  an  entire  wall  soon  be- 
comes covered  in  moss-like  fashion  with  these  inter- 
esting and  human-like  seed-sowerSt 


XX 

THE  COURTSHIP  AND  MAERIAGE  OF  PLANTS 

IN  considering  the  marriage  of  plants  it  is  neces- 
sary to  touch  briefly  on  the  physiology  of 
plants.  This,  however,  has  been  done  as  lightly  as 
possible,  and  with  as  little  indulgence  in  technical 
terms  as  could  be  used  to  give  a  clear  understand- 
ing of  their  impulses  and  actions  in  their  courtship 
and  marriage,  and  of  the  dependence  of  plants  one 
upon  another  for  the  reproduction  of  their  kind. 

Plants  are  divided  into  two  distinct  sexes,  male 
and  female.  They  have  eyes  with  which  they  see ; 
they  have  mouths  with  which  they  eat,  and  stomachs 
to  digest  their  food.  Their  stomachs  are  in  the 
form  of  leaves,  nevertheless  they  serve  the  purpose. 
They  have  lungs  with  which  they  breathe ;  and  they 
are  capable  of  drinking  water.  The  water  is  taken 
in  by  different  mouths  from  those  with  which  they 
take  in  their  food.  Great  trees  of  the  forest  neces- 
sarily have  big  mouths,  in  the  form  of  roots,  and 
these  mouths  act  as  regular  water-carriers  which 
reach  far  into  the  damp  ground  and  drink  up  great 
170 


THE  MARRIAGE  OF  PLANTS      171 

quantities  of  water  to  supply  the  millions  of  leaves 
above. 

Plants  have  not  always  had  the  same  manner 
of  eating,  drinking,  and  sleeping;  nor  have  they  al- 
ways had  the  same  marriage  customs  as  now.  Just 
as  the  customs  of  mankind  change  with  the  passing 
of  ages,  some  becoming  more  civilised  and  some 
less,  so  do  plant  customs  change,  some  for  a  better 
civilisation  and  some,  like  the  dodder  and  the  Indian 
pipe,  actually  becoming  degenerated. 

Before  the  marriage  takes  place  in  the  plant 
world  there  is  a  brief  but  no  less  real  courtship! 
The  happy  and  gallant  wooer  adorns  himself  gor- 
geously with  brilliant  flowers  each  having  powdered 
faces  calling  to  his  love  on  every  breeze.  He  must 
be  very  beautiful  and  charming,  or  she  will  not 
respond  to  his  love  by  rustling  her  silken  and  per- 
fumed leaves! 

This,  of  course,  refers  to  marriages  among  the 
larger  and  more  developed  plants.  In  most  of 
these  marriages  many  happy  children  are  born  in 
the  form  of  seeds ;  and  these  children  are  well  sup- 
plied by  the  fond  mother  with  food  and  clothing 
before  they  are  sent  out  into  the  big  world. 

Among  the  lower,  or  less  developed,  plants,  the 
marriage  customs  are  very  simple  and  crude.  In 
some  of  the  water  plants,  like  certain  forms  of 


172  THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

Algae,  there  is  no  sex  at  all,  and  the  entire  plant  is 
but  a  single  cell.  This  form  of  plant  reproduces 
by  the  simple  method  of  cell-division :  in  some  plants 
the  cell  divides  in  the  middle;  in  others,  it  bursts 
open,  producing  a  swarm  of  minute  cells.  In  this 
lower  form  there  are  no  organs  of  reproduction. 

The  next  step  in  plant  life  is  marriage  between 
members  of  the  intermediate  or  confused  sex,  as 
in  certain  pond-weeds.  Here  the  plant  cells  are 
precisely  alike. 

But  in  the  higher  plants  there  are  flowers,  and 
these  flowers  contain  the  organs  of  reproduction. 
The  flower  is  divided  into  various  parts,  including 
stamen  and  pistil  or  male  and  female.  In  order 
that  the  seeds  may  form  and  develop  in  the  ovary 
of  the  pistil,  the  beautiful  grains  of  yellow  pollen 
must  be  brought  from  the  stamens  and  showered 
upon  the  tip  of  the  pistil — the  stigma — and  from 
there  they  are  carried  down  the  long  style  to  the 
ovary,  where  they  quicken  the  tiny  ovules. 

When  we  speak  of  flowers  we  rarely  stop  to 
consider  just  what  the  term  means!  It  means  not 
only  the  pistil,  which  contains  the  undeveloped 
seeds  or  ovules;  the  stamens  with  their  pollen 
grains;  but  the  petals,  or,  taken  together,  the  co- 
rolla; and  lastly  the  calyx — all  these  different  parts 
combine  to  form  the  flower.  The  brilliantly  col- 


THE    MARRIAGE  OF  PLANTS        173 

cured  petals  are  really  used  as  advertisements.  The 
reds,  yellows,  oranges,  greens,  purples,  and  whites, 
are  flags  that  signal  to  the  bees  and  butterflies  to 
come  and  feast  on  the  honey — and  thus  to  fill  their 
fuzzy  backs  with  the  pollen  grains  which  will  read- 
ily cling  to  the  sticky  pistil  of  the  next  flower  they 
visit. 

One  of  the  most  brilliant  displays  of  colour  is  that 
of  the  flame  azalea.  It  flaunts  its  gaudy  blossoms 
over  the  mountain-sides,  beckoning  to  the  pollen- 
bearers  to  come  and  taste  of  its  honey.  Its  flame- 
coloured  flowers  are  produced  in  great  profusion, 
and,  massed  together,  their  blazing  splendour  gives 
the  impression  of  the  woods  on  fire.  The  azalea, 
because  of  its  gay  blossoms,  is  becoming  very  popu- 
lar as  a  cultivated  shrub. 

Some  plants  do  not  care  to  have  their  pollen  dis- 
tributed, but  fertilise  their  own  flowers  by  dropping 
the  pollen  grains  upon  their  own  pistils.  But  in 
all  such  cases  their  children  are  degenerates,  and 
only  plants  which  are  very  low  and  unsuccessful  in 
life  use  this  means  of  fertilisation.  While  in  a 
very  large  percentage  of  flowering  plants,  the  male 
and  female  elements  both  are  present  in  the  same 
flower,  if  good  healthy  offspring  are  to  be  produced 
it  is  necessary  for  pollen  to  be  brought  from  an- 
other plant,  or  another  flower  of  the  same  plant. 


174  THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

It  was  long  ago  proved  that  close  interbreeding 
produces  degenerates  in  the  plant  kingdom.  There 
are  very  few  instances  among  high-class  plants 
where  perfect  seeds  have  been  produced  without 
the  ovules  having  been  fertilised  in  the  regular  way: 
that  is,  by  the  transference  of  pollen  from  the  male 
to  the  female  flower. 

Among  such  plants  as  begonias,  cucumbers, 
gourds,  squashes,  there  are  many  flowers  that  are 
distinctly  either  male  or  female.  If  for  any  reason 
the  proper  insects  do  not  exist  in  the  territory 
where  such  flowers  are  to  be  raised,  the  flowers 
may  be  fertilised  by  carrying  pollen  dust  from  the 
male  to  the  female  by  means  of  a  feather  or  a 
dainty  brush.  But  it  is  far  more  interesting  to  see 
the  bees  and  butterflies  happy  in  their  work  of  dis- 
tributing pollen  from  flower  to  flower,  yellow  with 
the  precious  dust  on  then*  backs  and  heads! 

Plants  have  various  schemes  for  securing  a  cross- 
fertilisation  of  their  flowers.  Some  use  the  wind 
as  an  agent,  others  employ  bees,  butterflies,  moths, 
snails,  or  even  birds.  Bird-pollination  is  a  common 
occurrence  in  Brazil,  where  the  profusely  growing 
abutilon  is  fertilised  by  humming-birds.  The 
Brugmansia  and  other  flowers  are  fertilised  in  the 
same  way. 

Flowers  use  their  marvellous  beauty,  perfume, 


FLAME    AZALEA.     .IzaJna  lutta. 
The  brilliant  blossoms  are  used  as  advertisements  to  flare 


n  the  faces  of 
the  bees  and  butterflies,  bidding  them  come  and  partake  of  the  nectar. 


THE  MARRIAGE   OF  PLANTS        175 

and  consplcuousness  to  attract  to  themselves  insects 
that  will  distribute  their  pollen. 

Who  can  look  at  a  meadow  on  a  summer's  day 
and  doubt  that  butterflies  and  bees  are  attracted  by 
the  beauty  and  perfume  of  the  flowers !  Evidently 
they  enjoy  the  perfume  as  much  as  we;  and  ego- 
istic man  should  learn  to  know  that  beauty  was  not 
made  for  him  alone,  but  for  even  the  tiniest  creature 
that  exists. 

Dr.  Asa  Gray  has  long  since  called  attention 
to  and  minutely  described  the  physiology  of  the 
fertilisation  of  flowers.  It  is  a  subject  that  has 
required  volumes  of  description ;  too  deep  and  wide 
a  subject  to  be  more  than  scanned  here.  Only  a 
few  of  the  unusual  cases  of  plant  courtship  and 
marriage  will  be  mentioned. 

There  are  numerous  orchids,  like  the  Angraecum 
of  Madagascar,  that  can  be  fertilised  only  by  a 
large  moth.  This  moth  has  a  proboscis  ten  to  four- 
teen inches  long,  and  is  very  rare.  The  insect 
always  lands  on  the  labellum  of  an  orchid;  and 
while  many  orchids  have  no  honey  to  give  their 
guests,  their  juicy  tissue  is  a  dainty  offering  to 
many  flies  and  other  insects. 

Perhaps  one  of  the  strangest  and  most  interest- 
ing methods  of  securing  cross- fertilisation  is  that 
used  by  certain  water  plants  which  have  their  flower- 


176  THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

stalks  entirely  hidden  under  the  water.  The  Ital- 
ian eel-grass  (Vallisneria  spiralis)  uses  this  unique 
method  of  fertilisation.  The  female  flowers  grow 
on  long,  spirally  twisted  stalks,  and  each  flower  is 
enclosed  in  a  small  bladder.  The  male  flowers  grow 
in  bunches,  and  each  entire  bunch  is  covered  with 
a  thin  skin-like  sheath.  The  female  flower  has  con- 
tinued to  reach  up  her  head  until  the  flowers  rest 
on  the  surface  of  the  water;  while  the  male  is  tied 
down  below  by  a  short  stalk. 

Now  the  miracle  happens!  The  gallant  wooer 
deliberately  breaks  loose  from  his  underwater  posi- 
tion, and  arises  to  the  top  where  his  lady-love  is 
peacefully  floating!  The  male  flower  bursts  open 
his  sepals  and  forms  a  tiny  raft,  and,  by  means  of 
this  raft,  he  is  enabled  to  float  around  until  some 
kind  wind  or  wave  brings  him  in  contact  with  his 
love.  Some  of  the  pollen  from  the  male  adheres  to 
the  female  flower;  she  drops  to  the  bottom  of  the 
water,  and  there  remains  while  the  seeds  are  being 
developed. 

There  are  many  flowers  that  cater  neither  to 
birds,  insects,  nor  water,  but  look  only  to  the  wind 
for  fertilisation.  These  wind-fertilised  flowers 
usually  are  not  conspicuous ;  for  example,  there  are 
many  of  the  grasses,  to  say  nothing  of  the  large 
trees.  Exceptions  are  found  in  quack-grass, 


THE  MARRIAGE  OF  PLANTS        177 

Phaleris,  and,  among  the  trees,  in  the  beautiful  red 
flowers  of  the  larch.  With  plants  that  have  incon- 
spicuous flowers,  there  is  a  compensation  in  the 
form  of  grace  and  elegance;  for  what  can  be  more 
pleasing  to  the  eye  than  the  grace  of  slender  grass- 
blades! 

A  large  part  of  the  grasses  are  found  on  prairies 
and  open  plains,  where  the  wind  is  always  present 
to  distribute  their  pollen.  These  flowers  usually 
are  delicately  attached  to  the  plants  in  the  form  of 
tiny  spikes  or  swaying  panicles,  and  the  least  breeze 
will  hurl  their  precious  gold-dust  into  the  air. 
Many  scientists  believe  that  grasses  are  only  de- 
generate lilies. 

There  are  multitudes  of  interesting  and  extra- 
ordinary instances  of  both  courtship  and  marriage 
among  plants.  And  in  considering  this  plant  court- 
ship and  marriage  there  is  one  point  which  needs 
especial  emphasis — a  point  which  must  necessarily 
be  reiterated  time  and  again  in  the  consideration 
of  the  human  side  of  plants.  It  is  the  existence  of 
some  guiding  force,  too  impulsive  to  be  mechanical, 
too  versatile  and  efficient  to  be  instinctive,  which 
controls  the  actions  and  manners  of  plants  in  all 
the  stages  of  their  reproductive  functions.  There 
is  an  almost  human  sagacity  in  these  actions :  in  the 
display  of  brilliant  colours  and  soft  perfumes  to 


178  THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

attract  their  lovers ;  in  the  cunning  which  they  show 
in  imprisoning  a  bee  if  he  should  arrive  before  the 
pollen  grains  are  ready  to  be  sifted  on  his  back, 
and  of  holding  him,  sometimes  for  days  at  a  time, 
until  he  can  go  forth  laden  with  the  pollen  that  is 
to  adhere  to  a  pistil  and  so  find  its  way  to  the  ovary 
and  perform  the  great  miracle  that  results  in  seeds ; 
in  the  many  similar  tricks  which  they  use  to  entice 
and  to  hold;  all  working  together  towards  that  one 
great  aim  of  plant  life — reproduction. 


XXI 

PLANT-ANIMALS  AND  ANIMAL-PLANTS 

FOR  more  than  two  hundred  years  botanists  and 
zoologists  have  been  trying  to  determine  defi- 
nitely with  which  of  the  kingdoms,  animal  or 
vegetable,  certain  peculiar  plant-animals  or  animal- 
plants  should  be  classed.  Many  forms  of  the  vege- 
table kingdom  have  so  skillfully  simulated  the  col- 
our, shape,  and  various  habits  of  certain  plant-ani- 
mals as  to  have  themselves  classed  as  animals.  No 
one  but  a  skilled  botanist,  when  observing  some  of 
these  darting  around  in  the  water,  could  doubt  that 
he  was  seeing  a  tiny  animal. 

There  goes  the  fantastical,  weird  Euglena 
viridis.,  with  its  exquisite,  pale-green  body,  with 
lace-like  draperies  forming  the  delicate  neck,  and 
with  its  pink  eye  looking  for  all  the  world  like  that 
of  a  gold-fish — now  floating  nymph-like  through 
the  water,  now  diving  toward  a  rock  at  the  bottom, 
and  now  leisurely  opening  out  its  shawl-like  arms! 
How  like  an  animal  it  is !  Yet  this  is  not  an  animal, 
but  a  real  plant. 

179 


180  THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

On  the  other  hand,  there  are  numerous  tiny  ani- 
mals found  in  ponds,  lakes,  and  rivers,  and  near 
rocky  cliffs  in  the  oceans,  whose  very  bodies  simu- 
late in  every  respect  the  most  delicately  tinted 
flowers,  or  even  a  handful  of  jewels;  yet,  with  all 
these  apparently  inconsistent  qualities,  these  won- 
derful, flower-like  beings  belong  unquestionably 
to  the  animal  kingdom. 

It  is  practically  impossible  to  make  a  distinction 
between  the  two  kingdoms.  There  are  no  hard 
and  fast  lines  in  nature.  In  defining  the  limits  be- 
tween these  two  kingdoms,  scientists  in  dealing  with 
the  lower  forms  of  life  have  made  many  errors; 
and  as  a  result  a  number  of  the  lower  forms  of  both 
animal  and  vegetable  life  have,  at  different  periods 
of  their  existence,  been  classed  as  both  plants  and 
animals. 

Even  at  this  advanced  age  animals,  such  as  the 
Sertularia,  are  gathered  and  preserved  as  sea- 
mosses  !  Of  course,  this  is  done  only  by  people  who 
are  unaware  that  these  leaf -like  animals  are  really 
not  plants. 

In  1850  all  bacteria  were  assigned  to  the  vege- 
table kingdom,  but  now  they  are  fully  recognised 
as  members  of  the  animal  kingdom.  Of  course 
one  knows  that  a  lily  is  a  plant,  and  that  a  squirrel 
is  an  animal;  but  in  the  lower  forms  of  life  it  is 


PLANT-ANIMALS  181 

not  easy  to  draw  a  dividing  line  between  the  two 
kingdoms.  It  proved  too  great  a  problem  for  the 
scientists  of  the  past;  and  even  to-day  there  is  a 
confusion  and  wrangling  and  differing  of  opinions 
as  to  where  the  line  may  be  drawn. 

Moss-animals,  which  are  plant-animals,  repro- 
duce in  two  ways:  one  is  by  sprouting  new  buds, 
the  other  by  laying  eggs.  The  corals  all  belong 
to  the  plant-animal  family.  Notwithstanding  their 
striking  similarity  to  plants  in  colour,  shape,  form, 
and  even  in  reproduction  by  budding,  they  are  ani- 
mals, and  also  reproduce  by  laying  eggs.  There  is 
one  way,  however,  in  which  many  moss-animals 
differ  from  the  corals :  that  is  in  their  form.  Like 
the  snail  and  the  oyster,  the  body  of  the  moss- 
animal  consists  of  only  a  tiny  sack  containing  a 
stomach;  whereas  the  coral,  if  examined  closely, 
shows  a  number  of  minute  folders,  or  plates,  all 
pointing  from  the  edge  to  the  centre,  somewhat 
resembling  the  spikes  of  an  umbrella.  It,  therefore, 
belongs  to  the  jelly-fish  family.  Thus,  while  hav- 
ing these  budding  qualities,  and  grouping  them- 
selves into  plant-like  colonies,  the  corals  are  really 
members  of  the  animal  family. 

Among  the  AlgaB  are  numerous  plants,  bril- 
liantly coloured:  here  are  purples  and  blues,  there 
are  greens  and  oranges,  yonder  a  bit  of  violet,  yel- 


182  THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

low,  or  red.  It  is  these  forms  that  make  "red 
snow"  and  "blood  rain."  Water  is  frequently 
coloured  by  numerous  shades.  For  this  reason — 
because  of  the  red  algae  found  in  its  waters — the 
Red  Sea  was  so  named.  History  has  many  times 
mentioned  strangely  coloured  rains;  the  Bible  also 
speaks  of  such  phenomena. 

The  Algse  belong  to  the  vegetable  kingdom,  but 
are  considered  among  the  lowest  forms  of  plant 
life.  Next  above  them  are  certain  forms  of  fungi, 
such  as  the  water-moulds  and  the  mildews.  The 
fungi  are  believed  to  have  originated  as  algae;  and 
although  they  are  decidedly  plants,  they  have  many 
characteristics  of  animals. 

o£  "There  is  nothing  on  the  land  that  is  not  in  the 
.seal"  That  is  well  illustrated  by  an  "animal- 
garden" — or  gardens,  for  there  are  many  of  them 
in  tropical  and  warm  waters.  These  gardens  are 
among  the  world's  wonders  of  beauty.  They  are 
composed  entirely  of  animals;  yet  the  marvellously 
coloured  beings  simulate  perfectly  the  forms  and 
shapes  of  flowers.  They  cling  to  the  rocks  like 
trailing  mosses,  feathers,  flower-like  bells,  and 
J  vines;  some  appear  like  daisies,  geraniums,  an- 
emones ;  others  are  like  roses,  verbenas,  begonias,  or 
waving  grasses;  all  are  like  a  happy  family  of 


yr 


t 
fT 


PLANT-ANIMALS  183 

plants,  growing  harmoniously  together  in  a  garden, 
well  tended  by  a  skilled  gardener. 

But  do  not  try  to  pick  them  or  disturb  them  in 
any  way!  They  are  animals,  and  somewhere  are 
their  elfish  eyes  peering  directly  at  you  with  un- 
canny meaning.  Should  you  move,  they  are  pre- 
pared to  defend  themselves.  Like  many  plants  of 
the  earth,  they  have  peculiar  methods  of  defence. 
Some  sting,  others  twine  and  coil  about  their 
enemies,  actually  poisoning  them;  and  the  horrible 
Sea  Rose  sends  forth  delicate  streamers  filled  with 
semi-paralysing  fluid.  Some  of  these  marvellous 
plant-animals  have  countless  numbers  of  defensive 
filaments  1 

Even  during  the  past  century  these  strange  crea- 
tures were  so  generally  supposed  to  be  flowers  that 
the  French  Academy  of  Sciences  withheld  the  name 
of  Peysonnell,  when  he  made  the  statement  that 
they  were  animals.  Like  all  exponents  of  new 
ideas,  Peysonnell  was  ridiculed  and  his  idea  scorned 
at  first  by  those  who  later  were  forced  to  herald 
him  as  a  discoverer  and  a  scientist. 

Plants,  like  animals,  have  developed  marvellous 
instincts  in  the  choice  of  foods.  The  food  of  the 
plant  evidently  is  chosen  with  as  much  foresight 
as  is  that  of  the  animal  or  even  the  human  being. 
Plants  unquestionably  have  their  likes  and  dislikes : 


184  THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

some  even  refuse  to  grow  except  under  food  condi- 
tions which  they  enjoy.  This  is  another  evidence  of 
the  likeness  between  the  plant  and  the  animal 
worlds;  but  it  is  more  than  this.  In  showing  a 
taste  in  the  selection  of  its  food,  plant  life  has  again 
portrayed  its  striking  similarity  to  the  nature  of 
human  kind. 


XXII 

THE  MENTALITY  AND  SPIRITUALITY  OF  PLANTS 

And  'tis  my  faith  that  every  flower 
Enjoys  the  air  it  breathes! 

— WORDSWORTH. 

I  1ST  the  preceding  chapters  numerous  characteris- 
tics of  members  of  the  plant  kingdom  have 
been  considered  in  comparison  with  similar  charac- 
teristics of  the  human  kingdom.  It  has  been  shown 
that  plants  eat  and  drink,  sleep  and  wake,  climb, 
walk,  run,  swim,  fish,  hunt,  and  set  traps ;  that  they 
see,  hear,  feel,  taste,  and  smell ;  that  they  keep  and 
pay  servants,  own  slaves,  and  employ  many  kinds 
of  fighting  forces;  that  they  have  their  courtships 
and  marriages,  and  systematically  reproduce  their 
kind;  that  they  have  strong  parental  instincts,  and 
care  and  provide  for  their  children;  that  they  have 
developed  to  a  science  the  arts  of  bribery,  mimicry, 
and  trickery;  that  they  carry  on  a  continual  ex- 
change and  barter,  and  work  according  to  business 
contracts ;  and,  finally,  that  they  leave  behind  them 
185 


186  THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

records  of  their  achievements  for  the  benefit  of  fu- 
ture generations. 

In  truth,  it  has  been  shown  that  for  nearly  all 
the  characteristic  traits  and  powers  of  human  kind, 
there  are  corresponding  traits  and  powers  in  plant 
life — some  of  which  compare  favourably  with  the 
human  race;  some  far  excel  it;  and  some  are  in- 
ferior in  their  development. 

But  there  are  two  characteristics  of  the  human 
being,  the  two  most  distinctive  qualities  of  human 
nature,  which  one  would  hardly  associate  with  the 
nature  of  plants.  These  qualities  are  mentality 
and  spirituality. 

That  very  human  powers  of  sensation  and  in- 
stinct are  natural  to  plants  has  been  shown  re- 
peatedly; therefore,  in  discussing  plant  mentality, 
these  powers  will  not  be  referred  to,  but  only  that 
mentality  which  realises,  reasons,  and  wills.  It  is 
positively  known  that  plants  do  have  both  an  ac- 
tive, existing  mentality  and  a  very  evident  spiritual 
nature. 

Consider  first  the  evidences  of  plant  mentality. 
Great  and  unbiassed  minds  have  for  many  years 
been  centred  on  the  study  of  plant  habits,  in  the 
hope  of  finding  some  conclusive  evidence  of  an 
existing  mentality  in  plant  life.  As  a  result  of 
these  exhaustive  investigations,  occasional  articles 


MENTALITY  AND  SPIRITUALITY    187 

and  treatises  have  appeared,  which  claimed  that 
their  authors  had  found,  beyond  all  question,  the 
proof  of  an  active  intelligence  in  plants.  However, 
the  mind  of  the  average  human  is  a  stolid  thing, 
and  hates  to  be  jolted  from  its  regular  course  by 
the  entertainment  of  new  and  original  ideas;  so  it 
has  glanced  at  these  amusing  announcements  of 
facts  and  with  smiling  superiority  has  returned  to 
its  old,  wormy  books  and  theories,  in  calm  self- 
satisfaction.  But  the  men  who  have  furnished  this 
amusement,  who  have  learned  really  to  know  plant 
nature,  smile  in  their  turn  and  proclaim  the  truths, 
which  their  investigation  is  giving  them. 

Perhaps  one  of  the  most  convincing  evidences  of 
mentality  in  plants  is  the  almost  invariable  conver- 
sion to  this  belief  of  those  who  have  really  given 
themselves  to  study  and  to  a  sincere  attempt  to 
understand  the  nature  of  plants.  Among  the  fore- 
most naturalists  and  psychologists  of  the  past  and 
present  stand  many  who  are  emphatic  in  the 
declaration  of  their  belief  in  the  theory  of  plant 
mentality  and  intelligence. 

It  is  generally  accepted  that  to  animals  must  be 
given  credit  for  some  mentality.  The  line  of  de- 
marcation between  the  animal  and  plant  kingdoms 
has  been  always  a  subject  for  dispute,  and  never 
has  been  established  to  the  satisfaction  of  all.  Of 


188  THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

course  the  higher  forms  of  animals  can  be  separated 
easily  from  the  higher  forms  of  plants ;  but  in  the 
lower  forms,  there  is  no  distinction.  There  are 
many  of  the  lower  animals  which  have  no  stomacK 
or  even  a  trace  of  a  nervous  system;  while  many 
of  the  lower  plants  can  actually  swim  through  the 
water,  taking  any  course  they  desire.  The  most 
skilled  scientist  cannot  be  certain  whether  he  is 
dealing  with  animal  or  plant.  If,  then,  a  dividing 
line  cannot  be  drawn  between  the  lower  forms  of 
plant  and  animal  life,  how  can  an  intelligence  be 
assigned  to  the  one  in  its  higher  forms  without  a 
similar  power  being  attributed  to  the  other,  espe- 
cially when,  with  all  other  powers  of  the  animal,  the 
plant  favourably  compares? 

"There  is  nothing  unscientific,"  says  Francis 
Darwin,  "in  classing  animals  and  plants  together 
from  a  psychological  standpoint." ) 

In  a  previous  chapter  it  has  been  shown  that 
plants  see  and  are  sensitive  to  the  presence  or  ab- 
sence of  light ;  that  they  will  approach  a  sunny  spot 
from  the  shade  or  a  shady  spot  from  the  sun;  that 
an  approaching  shadow  will  cause  some  plants  to 
close  their  petals ;  thus  proving  that  plants  have  the 
sense  of  sight. 

That  plants  hear  has  been  shown  in  the  instances 
of  those  sensitive-plants  which  are  susceptible  to 


MENTALITY  AND  SPIRITUALITY    189 

every  vibration — for  sound  is  but  the  effect  of  vi- 
brations. / 

The  examples  of  a  plant's  sense  of  touch  and  of 
feeling  are  numerous.  The  action  of  the  tentacles 
of  the  sundew,  on  being  touched  by  a  foreign  sub- 
stance, is  evidence  of  this  ability  to  feel.  Plant 
consciousness  of  heat  and  cold  frequently  has  been 
proved  by  approaching  a  flower  with  a  hot  iron; 
there  may  be  no  change  in  the  light,  but  with  the 
change  of  temperature,  the  flower  closes,  as  if  to 
protect  its  precious  children  from  harm. 

That  plants  have  a  sense  of  smell  also  has  been 
proved.  An  odour  which  is  offensive  to  a  plant  will 
cause  it  to  close;  and  if  endured  long  it  may  kill 
the  plant.  The  wonderful  power  of  plants  to  de- 
tect approaching  rain,  or  the  nearness  of  water, 
may  fairly  be  attributed  to  the  sense  of  smell;  al- 
though this  power  might  quite  as  fairly  be  attrib- 
uted to  a  sixth  sense  of  the  plant.  / 

The  taste  of  plants  has  been  proved  beyond  ques- 
tion; it  is  known  that  the  taste  of  some  plants  for 
salt,  others  for  sugar,  iron,  zinc,  is  very  marked. 
There  can  be  little  question  that  the  prevalence  or 
scarcity  of  a  favourite  food  has  much  to  do  with 
a  plant's  habitat. 

The  sixth  sense  which  plants  undoubtedly  pos- 
sess may  be  called  the  psychic  sense.  There  are 


190  THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

numerous  evidences  of  it  in  the  plant's  power  to 
discover  the  presence  of  objects  necessary  to  its 
welfare.  A  climbing  plant,  which  needs  a  prop, 
will  creep  toward  the  nearest  support;  but  should 
this  be  shifted  to  a  spot  several  feet  from  its  for- 
mer position,  the  vine  will,  within  a  few  hours, 
change  its  course  to  the  new  direction.  Is  it  possi- 
ble that  the  plant  sees  the  pole?  This  may  explain 
the  action  in  this  instance;  but  if  the  plant  grows 
between  two  mounds  or  ridges,  and  behind  the  one 
ridge  stands  a  wall,  which  will  afford  good  climb- 
ing, but  is  invisible  from  the  position  of  the  plant, 
while  behind  the  other  ridge  is  no  form  of  support, 
the  plant  invariably  will  bend  its  course  over  the 
ridge  behind  which  is  the  wall.  Examples  of  this 
may  be  found  wherever  climbing  or  creeping  plants 
grow.  The  support  is  invisible  from  the  plant's 
starting  point;  and  there  is  no  odour  which,  as  is 
possible  in  the  location  of  water,  might  give  the 
plant  some  clue  to  the  direction  in  which  its  support 
may  be  found.  The  only  explanation  seems  to  be 
the  existence  in  the  plant  of  a  psychic  sense. 

There  is  at  least  one  other  sense  which  is  pos- 
sessed by  plants  to  a  marked  degree.  This  may  be 
called  the  physical  sense.  For  example,  most 
house-plants,  which  in  their  domestication  have  as- 
sumed more  or  less  artificial  forms,  will,  on  being 


TRUMPET    VINE.     Tecoma  radicans. 

This  is  one  of  the  most  intelligent  of  all  the  climbing  plants.     Indeed,  it 
possesses  a  remarkable  degree  of  mentality. 


MENTALITY  AND  SPIRITUALITY    191 

returned  to  their  original  haunts,  reassume  their 
natural  forms.  There  must  be  in  the  plant  some 
prompting  sense  which  makes  it  realise  any  unfit- 
ness  in  its  life  or  being. 

An  example  of  this  may  be  seen  by  any  one  who 
will  make  the  experiment.  An  oxalis,  a  regular 
"night  sleeper,"  if  subjected  to  strong  light  by 
night  and  darkness  by  day,  at  first  will  open  and 
shut  irregularly,  as  if  distressed  and  upset  by  the 
unnaturalness  of  its  new  conditions,  then  gradu- 
ally will  assume  its  accustomed  sleeping  and  wak- 
ing periods,  but  regulating  them  by  the  darkness 
and  light.  On  removing  the  artificial  light  and 
allowing  the  return  of  natural  day  and  night  to  the 
flower,  it  will,  after  another  period  of  uncertainty, 
return  to  its  old  habits  of  waking  and  sleeping. 

These  periods  of  uncertainty  can  be  accounted 
for  only  by  accrediting  the  plant  with  a  sense  of 
the  fitness  of  things,  a  physical  sense.  But,  grant- 
ing such  a  sense,  one  comes  suggestively  near  to 
granting  to  the  plant  an  actual  reasoning  power. 

Plants,  then,  have  seven  senses:  sight,  hearing, 
feeling,  taste,  smell,  a  psychic  sense,  and  a  physi- 
cal sense;  or  six  senses  and  a  reasoning  power — if 
the  physical  sense  be  admitted  as  such.  These 
senses  might  be  termed  "passive"  mentality:  that 
is,  senses  which,  to  perform  their  functions,  possi- 


192  THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

bly  do  not  require  any  command  of  the  will,  but  are 
merely  natural  to  the  plants. 

If,  however,  these  seven  senses  are  but  passive 
powers,  and  not  in  any  way  an  evidence  of  intelli- 
gence in  the  plant,  there  are  certain  actual  and 
purposeful  motions  of  the  plant  which  might  be 
called  its  "active"  mentality.  It  is  in  the  existence 
or  non-existence  of  this  "active"  mentality  that  we 
find  question  for  consideration;  plant  sensation  has 
been  proved,  and  must  be  accepted  as  existing  in 
the  plant  nature;  plant  action,  instances  of  which 
have  been  shown  repeatedly,  cannot  be  explained 
by  any  theory  other  than  that  of  the  existence  of  a 
mentality,  or  reasoning  power,  which  commands 
such  action. 

The  habits  of  the  carnivorous  plants  give  strik- 
ing examples  of  the  existence  in  plant  life  of  this 
power  to  reason,  to  realise,  and  to  take  action  upon 
the  realisation.  Consider  the  insect-eating  sundew. 
When  a  fly  or  other  insect  alights  on  the  leaf  of  a 
sundew,  it  is  immediately  grasped  by  the  tentacles 
which  thickly  cover  the  leaf,  is  flooded  by  a  peptic 
fluid  which  exudes  from  glands  in  the  leaf,  and  is 
slowly  digested  by  the  plant.  But  drop  a  tiny 
pebble  into  the  tentacles.  {  They  instinctively  close 
over  it,  just  as  the  human  hand,  expecting  to  re- 
ceive something,  closes  mechanically  over  an  ob- 


MENTALITY  AND  SPIRITUALITY    193 

ject,  whether  or  not  the  mind  of  the  human  wants 
that  particular  object;  and  as  the  human  mind 
would  realise  instantly  that  its  hand  is  clasping  the 
wrong  object,  so  the  mind  of  the  sundew  realises 
that  this  pebble  is  an  inedible  thing.  It  instantly 
opens  its  tentacles  and  allows  the  pebble  to  fall 
out.  How  does  the  plant  know  that  the  pebble  is 
not  a  fly?  Its  opening  its  tentacles  and  unclasping 
the  foreign  substance  is  a  direct  voluntary  action, 
and  must  be  at  the  command  of  an  active,  reason- 
ing mentality. 

Another  carnivorous  plant,  Venus's  fly-trap,  has 
been  used  frequently  for  a  similar  experiment.  Its 
leaves  will  enclose  anything  with  which  it  comes  in 
contact.  Even  a  tiny  pebble,  or  a  bit  of  dry  wood, 
will  be  enveloped.  But  the  plant  soon  detects  its 
mistake,  if  it  happens  to  catch  something  that  is 
not  edible,  and  the  unwelcome  substance  is  imme- 
diately dropped.  On  the  other  hand,  if  the  leaf 
catches  a  fly  or  a  bit  of  raw  meat,  it  holds  it  tightly 
until  all  the  food  material  is  extracted.  There 
seems  no  explanation  for  this  discretionary  power 
on  the  part  of  the  plant  unless  the  theory  of  plant 
intellect  be  accepted. 

In  their  response  to  the  reproductive  and  paren- 
tal instincts,  certain  plants  show  a  state  of  intellec- 
tual development  which  compares  not  unfavourably 


194  THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

with  that  of  human  beings.  Consider  those  plants 
which  open  at  night  only,  when  the  crawling  insect 
pest  is  not  about,  while  certain  winged  pollen-bear- 
ers are  still  at  their  work;  there  are  some  plants, 
which,  being  fertilised  by  but  one  kind  of  insect, 
open  and  emit  perfume  only  during  the  hours  when 
this  insect  is  abroad.  Consider  the  bribing  habits  of 
certain  plants,  offering  sweets  to  the  crawling  in- 
sects below,  and  barricading,  by  means  of  numerous 
sharp  thorns,  their  way  to  the  honey  and  pollen 
nests  above.  Consider  those  flowers  which,  wishing 
to  keep  out  falling  moisture  but  having  no  wish 
to  close  their  petals  against  the  visiting  bee,  droop 
on  their  stems,  and  in  their  pendent  position  run 
no  danger  of  having  their  pollen  harmed. 

These  actions  and  habits  are  not  merely  the  "nat- 
ural way"  of  these  particular  plants ;  for  the  night- 
bloomers,  kept  free  entirely  from  crawling  insects, 
become  in  time  day-bloomers;  the  plants  fertilised 
by  a  particular  insect,  if  supplied  at  all  hours  with 
ample  fertilisation,  open  and  emit  perfume  freely 
at  other  than  the  hours  of  this  insect's  flight;  the 
bribers  and  thorn-bearers,  in  domestication  and  free 
from  insect  pests,  lose  their  bribing  sacks  and  their 
thorns;  and  the  plants  whose  flowers  in  the  wild 
state  depended,  will  raise  their  mouths  fearlessly 
to  the  sun,  if  protected  from  the  rain  under  glass. 


MENTALITY  AND  SPIRITUALITY    1951 

"When  plants  find  themselves  in  extraordinary 
positions,  they  often  do  things  which  seem  to  be 
something  more  than  cases  of  cause  and  effect." 
The  inherent  nature  of  plants  may  account  for 
their  regular  habits  of  living;  but  only  some  mental 
suggestion  can  account  for  their  abandonment  of 
the  regular  and  their  adoption  of  the  irregular. 
This  physical  sense,  the  sense  of  the  fitness  of 
things,  has  its  origin  not  in  instinct  but  in  intellect 
— in  a  reasoning  power. 

One  of  the  most  striking  examples  of  reasoning 
action  in  plant  life  is  cited  by  an  American  woman, 
Mrs.  Treat,  who  proved  conclusively  that  the  leaves 
of  the  plant  actually  were  conscious  of  the  nearness 
of  insects,  even  when  there  was  no  contact  between 
the  plant  and  the  body  of  the  insect.  This  was 
demonstrated  by  pinning  a  live  fly  half  an  inch 
from  a  leaf  of  sundew,  whereupon  the  leaf  moved 
itself  within  the  succeeding  two  hours  near  enough 
to  fasten  its  tentacles  about  the  insect.  Perhaps 
this  realisation  of  the  insect's  proximity  was  a  mat- 
ter of  "passive"  mentality,  of  hearing,  or  seeing,  or 
smelling,  or  a  psychic  sense;  but  the  voluntary  mo- 
tion toward  it  cannot  fairly  be  attributed  to  any 
source  other  than  to  a  degree  of  reasoning  power 
and  a  definite  understanding  of  the  circumstances, 
on  the  part  of  the  plant. 


196  THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

In  the  movements  of  climbing  plants,  there  are 
many  examples  of  intellectual  suggestion  and  con- 
trol. The  Virginia  creeper,  which  in  climbing  seeks 
to  place  its  tendril  feet  in  dark  cracks  and  cran- 
nies, is  one  of  these.  How  does  the  plant  separate 
dark  from  light,  a  spot  where  it  may  cling  from  a 
space  that  will  not  offer  foothold,  if  not  by  some 
mental  action,  some  form  of  reasoning? 

A  trumpet-vine  grew  in  a  corner  of  a  Southern 
garden.  Twenty-odd  feet  from  this  vine,  in  the 
centre  of  the  garden,  was  an  old  pine  stump;  but 
the  vine  in  the  corner  apparently  paid  no  heed  to 
its  tall  neighbour.  One  day  a  fire  was  built  about 
the  foot  of  the  stump,  and  all  the  bark  was  burned 
from  the  surface,  leaving  the  dark,  smooth-charred 
body  standing.  Promptly  then  the  trumpet-vine 
sent  forth  a  long  trailer,  more  than  twenty  feet 
across  open  ground,  to  the  charred  stump,  up  which 
it  climbed.  The  parent  vine  formerly  had  divided 
its  attention  among  many  small  shoots  and  trailers, 
but  now  it  gave  its  entire  attention  to  this  single 
trailer,  which  had  found  a  good  position.  And 
before  long  the  whole  of  the  blackened  surface  was 
hidden  beneath  the  leaves  and  blossoms  of  the  new 
vine.  Was  it  blind  instinct  that  sent  out  but  one 
long  trailer,  and  that  one  in  direct  line  to  the  old, 
charred  stump?  Was  it  blind  instinct  telling  the 


MENTALITY  AND  SPIRITUALITY    197 

trumpet-vine  to  wait  for  a  fire  to  come  and  burn 
the  bark  from  the  stump,  in  order  to  make  it  a 
convenient  climbing  place?  Was  it  blind  instinct 
that  showed  the  plant  that  the  distant  stump  with 
its  bark  on  was  not  a  secure  foundation  for  its 
offspring?  And  was  it  blind  instinct  that,  when 
once  the  stump  was  cleared,  said  to  the  plant,  "Go ! 
Now  is  the  right  time!"  In  human  beings  we 
should  call  that  reason! 

Numerous  experiments  have  proved  that  seeds 
planted  on  damp  sponges,  which  are  suspended  in 
the  air,  will,  according  to  habit,  send  their  roots 
downward.  But  they  do  not  find  nourishment  in  the 
dry  air,  and  they  immediately  turn  back  to  the 
damp  sponge.  That  shows  clearly  their  instinct  of 
self-preservation.  Whether  the  plant  knew  that 
there  was  no  water  below,  either  by  seeing,  or  smell- 
ing, or  the  psychic  sense,  does  not  matter;  the  in- 
stinct of  self-preservation  warned  it — that  was 
"passive"  mentality.  But  "active"  mentality  heeded 
the  warning,  guided  the  return,  instigated  the 
forces  that  produced  the  backward  journey — just 
as  the  mind  of  man  commands  the  motion  of  his 
arms,  through  the  action  of  the  muscle-forces. 
There  were  several  distinct  mental  actions  here :  a 
realisation  of  lack  of  nourishment  in  the  air,  a  con- 
scious desire  to  return  to  the  moist  sponge  above, 


198  THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

and  a  voluntary  command  which  instigated  and 
controlled  the  action  of  the  forces  that  bent  the 
root  and  carried  it  back. 

The  question  then  arises :  "If  there  is  an  'active* 
and  a  'passive'  mentality  in  plants,  if  they  possess 
senses  and  instincts  as  well  as  reasoning  powers, 
where  is  the  seat  of  all  these  powers — where  is  the 
plant  brain?" 

This  would  be  a  matter  of  plant  physiology 
rather  than  plant  psychology,  were  it  a  point  that 
could  be  placed  under  any  classification ;  but,  up  to 
the  present  time,  scientists  have  been  unable  to  iden- 
tify any  specific  part  of  a  plant  with  this  brain 
seat. 

Spirituality  is  a  condition  of  responsiveness  to 
and  membership  in  the  universal  spirit,  the  spirit 
of  the  Creator,  the  Infinite  Substance,  God. 

The  assertion  that  plants  have  spirituality,  have 
souls,  has  been  held  up  to  ridicule  wherever  and 
whenever  made.  Nevertheless  many  scientists  of 
great  reputation  and  ability,  realising  that  "the 
best  part  of  our  universe  is  hidden  from  the  'un- 
assisted sight,'  and  that  the  'music  of  the  spheres' 
is  altogether  unheard  by  the  ordinary  ear,"  have 
given  to  the  idea  of  plant  spirituality  more  than 
a  passing  glance,  with  absolute  conversion,  in  fre- 
quent cases,  to  the  affirmative  side  of  the  question. 


MENTALITY  AND  SPIRITUALITY    199 

From  the  earliest  history  down  to  the  present 
day,  there  have  been  races  and  individuals  who 
believed  implicitly  in  the  spirituality  of  plants. 
The  old  Greeks  and  Romans  gave  to  the  trees  and 
plants  the  spirits  of  gods  and  men;  and  "many  in 
more  modern  times  have  lavishly  bestowed  souls 
upon  plants,  as  did  Adamson,  Bonnet,  Hedwig, 
and  Edward  Smith.  Martius  and  Fechner,  in  Ger- 
many, defended  these  views,  and  were  very  liberal 
in  their  supply  of  souls  to  plants  ..."  Surely 
there  is  a  suggestion  of  some  existent  truth, 
which  should  cause  this  universal  interest  and  in- 
vestigation into  the  possibility  of  plant  spirituality ! 

Flowers  appeal  to  the  souls  of  men.  A  very 
beautiful  orchid  or  rose,  the  rich  perfume  of  the 
lily-of-the-valley,  or  the  soft,  delicate  odour  of  the 
wood  violet,  each  has  a  very  direct  appeal  to  the 
soul  of  man.  Of  course,  there  is  a  sensuous  appeal 
— the  rose  and  the  orchid  appeal  to  the  sight,  the 
lily-of-the-valley  and  the  violet  to  the  sense  of 
smell — but  the  beauty  and  the  perfume  go  deeper 
than  the  senses.  There  is  a  spiritual  inspiration  in 
the  fairness  and  sweetness  which  drives  out  the  un- 
beautiful,  the  gross,  and  the  sordid  from  the  soul; 
which  unlifts  the  spirits  with  deep  joy,  with  a 
delirious  happiness  at  times,  and  arouses  the  highest 
and  noblest  impulses  of  men.  And  that  which 


200  THE  HUMAN  SIDE  OF  PLANTS 

radiates  the  inspiration  to  happiness  and  sweetness 
and  goodness  must  be  the  universal  spirit,  the  spirit 
of  God.  The  inspiration  from  the  beautiful  flower 
must  be  from  the  spirituality  of  the  flower,  from 
the  degree  of  the  universal  spirit  in  the  flower. 

"All  life,"  writes  Thomas  Gentry,  "like  all  love, 
is  divine.  There  can  nothing  exist  that  does  not 
contain  some  sort  of  development  of  soul." 

In  ancient  literature  are  many  instances  of  races 
worshipping  and  making  obeisance  to  trees,  plants, 
and  their  flowers.  In  this  "plant  worship"  is  one 
of  the  greatest  and  most  important  tributes  to  the 
spirituality  of  plants.  The  tree-worshipper  and  the 
flower- worshipper  were  but  acceding  to  the  demand 
from  within,  the  desire  of  their  souls  to  commune 
with  the  universal  spirit,  the  spirit  of  the  Creator, 
of  God,  as  it  appeared  to  them  in  the  living  plants. 

And  this  is  the  appeal  of  the  beautiful  flower, 
the  delicate  plant,  the  soft-shaded  leaf,  the  sighing 
tree.  Back  of  the  beauty  and  the  sweetness  is  a 
deep,  underlying  consciousness,  a  spirituality  of  the 
all-permeating  universal  spirit,  of  which  this  beauty 
and  this  sweetness  are  the  means  of  expression. 
The  appeal  is  of  the  plant-spirituality  through  the 
senses  to  the  soul  of  men;  it  is  a  commingling,  a 
blending,  of  members  of  the  universal  spirit. 

And  here,  in  this  membership  in  the  universal 


MENTALITY  AND  SPIRITUALITY    201 

spirit,  is  the  greatest  and  closest  tie  between  plants 
and  human  beings.  The  spirituality  of  the  man 
and  the  spirituality  of  the  plant,  being  of  one 
source  and  one  existence,  ineffably  link  together 
the  two  natures  into  the  one  great  chain  of  life, 
offering  to  each  a  sympathetic  perception  of  the 
other,  joining  both  in  the  eternal  kinship  of  Uni- 
versal Nature. 


THE  END 


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